Author Topic: Maybe the coolest bug I've ever seen. (Read 3892 times)

Fawkinnae

This might by the coolest bug I've ever seen. Saw it last night at an apartment complex in Brooklyn Park. Looked it up and found these pics on the internet.

Anybody know what it is?

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HD

Ain't that a doodle bug?

Fawkinnae

Quote from: HD on July 07/22/11, 02:48:25 PM

Ain't that a doodle bug?

Swing and a miss by the lead off man...

HD

Then it's a Dobsonfly....

Retired on Osakis

I would say a "Big Ugly Bug". Am I right?

Fawkinnae

Quote from: HD on July 07/22/11, 07:19:53 PM

Then it's a Dobsonfly....

That's our boy. You crushed it! Next year my Challenge team will be the "Dobsonflys".

A Dobsonfly is any insect of the subfamily Corydalinae, part of the megalopteran family Corydalidae. There are over 220 species of dobsonflies, the most well-known of which is Corydalus cornutus, the eastern dobsonfly, sometimes called the "King Bug"[citation needed]. Dobsonflies are found throughout the Americas and Asia, as well as South Africa. Their closest relatives are the fishflies.
Female eastern dobsonfly
Male eastern dobsonfly
A hellgrammite

Both male and female dobsonflies can reach lengths up to five inches (12.5 cm), measured from the tips of their pincers to the tips of their four wings. Their wingspans can be twice as long as their body length. The wings are densely lined with intersecting veins. When not in use, the wings are folded along the length of their bodies. Dobsonflies have long, multi-segmented antennae.

Though both male and female dobsonflies have sharp mandibles, those of an adult male dobsonfly are actually so big – up to 1 inch (25 mm) – that they are unable to harm humans, as they have such poor leverage that they are incapable of breaking the skin. Their mandibles are used exclusively during mating, where males show them off and grasp the females during copulation. Female dobsonflies, however, retain the short, powerful pincers they had as larvae, so they can inflict painful bites, which can draw blood. Notwithstanding the males' inability to inflict harm, when threatened both sexes will raise their heads and spread their jaws menacingly. They are not venomous, but possess an irritating, foul-smelling anal spray as a last-ditch defense.

Dobsonflies spend most of their life in the larval stage, during which they are called hellgrammites, and are familiar to anglers who like to use the large larvae as bait. Hellgrammites live under rocks at the bottoms of lakes, streams and rivers, and prey on other insect larvae with the short sharp pincers on their heads, with which they can also inflict painful bites on humans. The larvae reach to 2" to 3" in length, with gills all along the sides of their segmented bodies that allow them to extract oxygen from water.

After a few years of living and growing underwater, the larvae crawl out onto land and pupate. They stay in their cocoons over the winter and emerge only to mate. Upon emerging, they live for only seven days. While not generally believed to eat during their adult stage, some captive female specimens have been observed with their heads burrowed into blackberries[citation needed].

Adults can generally be found from late spring into the middle of summer, preferring to remain near bodies of water, particularly the ones where they grew up. Once they emerge as adults they mate, deposit their eggs near the water (often on overhanging vegetation), then die. They are primarily nocturnal, and like most aquatic insects, are commonly attracted to bright lights.

DDSBYDAY

They are not venomous, but possess an irritating, foul-smelling anal spray as a last-ditch defense.

I hear Lee uses that technique as the first line of defense.

AJDodgerf

Early this summer we had what looked like hundreds of their larvae in our yard pond...wasn't sure what the heck they were 'till I saw this.....thanks for posting

Fawkinnae

I saw another cool bug yesterday. Wow two cool bugs in one year. It was a cicada who seemed to be having issues with his flight control. They seem to be everwhere this summer but I have never seen one close up. Attached is the best picture I could find on the internet that looked like the one I saw.

glenn57 · « *Last Edit: September 09/01/11, 10:29:06 AM by glenn57* »

this thread is really "buggin" me!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sorry, coulnt help myself!

really though neat pictures..........cool to put names to them as i have seen these before.

HD

here's a bug for ya...

Fawkinnae

Candy corn bug? Out of focus bug?

This is really going to bug glenn57 (not to be confused with heinz57).

HD

Since Roger Ebert needs a better photo, here ya go...

Not much better, but better

Fawkinnae

Much better Martin Scorsese.
Am I supposed to guess? Halloween Bug?

Fawkinnae

Milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus)? I cheated.

HD

Well, you don't have to guess if ya don't wanna.
I just figured it was a cool bug, and if I posted it, it would just bug ya knowing you wouldn't know what kinda bug it was.

How can I put the word "bug" more in a sentence just to bug you?