Eastern Dobsonfly (Corydalus cornutus)

While looking for moths a few nights ago, visitors were delighted to come across an eastern dobsonfly. Although they are not moths, these large insects are a welcome site for nature lovers because they are often indicative of clean, relatively unpolluted water. Their eggs are laid on a surface that is above a rocky water body. When hatched, the larvae will fall or crawl into the water, looking for a rocky substrate. They'll live 2-3 years as larvae, serving as top predators in the macroinvertebrate world. They live under rocks and feed on soft bodied invertebrates. After 2-3 years of feeding and growing, they'll pupate, either for about 7 to 14 days, or they will overwinter in pupae form in areas of cold winter temps. When they emerge as adults, they can be fearsome looking with their large mandibles. The mandibles are not used for eating as its thought that the adults do not feed at all. Rather the mandibles are used for holding on during reproduction and can also be used for self defense. As adults, they will live about 7 days.

The eastern dobsonfly found on July 3rd was listed as an observation by the Keystone State Park official account as well as a visitor's account.

Publicado el julio 8, 2020 07:33 TARDE por keystonesp keystonesp

Comentarios

No hay comentarios todavía.

Agregar un comentario

Acceder o Crear una cuenta para agregar comentarios.