Common Name -  Eastern Dobsonfly

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Megaloptera

Family: Corydalidae

The Eastern Dobsonfly is found primarily in the Eastern portion of North America but has been found in North Dakota.  They have very large larval stages that are often known to fishermen as hellgrammites.  In some regions, hellgrammites can be purchased at bait shops, but due to the difficulty in finding them in the wild, they tend to be expensive.  The larvae feed on soft-bodied invertebrates such as worms and other insect larvae.  They are extremely slow growing and will molt up to 12 times before forming a pupa.

While they have quite the adult armature in terms of oral structures, they tend not to feed as adults.  The female can produce a quite painful bite, essentially pinching until drawing blood.  The males however, even with very large mandibles, cannot bite.  As adults their only goal is reproduction, which takes place near streams.  They mate, lay eggs, then typically die within a week.