Stream-indicator
Guides
Corydalidae
Dobsonflies and Fishflies
Corydalidae is a family of large megalopteran insects commonly known as dobsonflies and fishflies. Adults typically exceed 25 mm in body length and possess long filamentous antennae—feathered in male fishflies—and four large, translucent, smoky-grey wings with the anterior pair slightly longer than the posterior. The family is divided into two subfamilies: Corydalinae (dobsonflies), whose males bear distinctive elongated mandibles used in combat, and Chauliodinae (fishflies), whose males have normal mandibles. Aquatic larvae, called hellgrammites, are predatory and possess strong sharp mandibles and abdominal branchial filaments for respiration. They develop over one to three years before leaving water to pupate in terrestrial chambers dug under stones or logs.
Neohermes californicus
California fishfly
Neohermes californicus is a species of fishfly in the family Corydalidae, first described by Walker in 1853 as Chauliodes californicus. It belongs to the order Megaloptera, a small group of primitive holometabolous insects that includes fishflies, dobsonflies, and alderflies. The species is found in North America, particularly in western regions including California. Fishflies in this genus are associated with aquatic habitats during their larval stages. Adults are typically nocturnal and attracted to lights.