Bionomics and Ecological Services of Megaloptera Larvae (Dobsonflies, Fishflies, Alderflies)

Abstract

Megaloptera belong to a large monophyletic group, the Neuropteroidea, together with Coleoptera, Strepsiptera, Raphidioptera, and Neuroptera. With the latter two, this order constitutes the Neuropterida, a smaller monophyletic subset among which it is the only entirely aquatic group, with larvae of all species requiring submersion in freshwater. Megaloptera is arguably the oldest extant clade of Holometabola with aquatic representatives, having originated during the Permian before the fragmentation of Pangea, since about 230 Ma. It includes 54 genera (35 extant and 19 extinct genera), with 397 extant described species and subspecies. Recent Megaloptera are divided into two families: Corydalidae (with subfamilies Corydalinae—dobsonflies and Chauliodinae—fishflies) and Sialidae (alderflies), both widely yet disjunctively distributed among zoogeographical realms. All species of Megaloptera have aquatic larvae, whereas eggs, pupae, and adults are terrestrial. The anatomy, physiology, and behavior of megalopteran larvae are specialized for an aquatic predatory habit, yet their ecological significance might still be underappreciated, as their role in food webs of benthic communities of many temperate and tropical streams and rivers is still understudied and largely unquantified. In many freshwater ecosystems, Megaloptera larvae are a conspicuous benthic component, important in energy flow, recycling of materials, and food web dynamics.

Discovery of flower‐visiting fishflies: Adult Neochauliodes amamioshimanus (Megaloptera: Corydalidae) nocturnally forages on Schima wallichii ssp. noronhae trees

“…Megaloptera is considered one of the oldest extant orders among holometabolous insects (Grimaldi & Engel 2005; Rivera‐Gasperín et al . 2019). It comprises approximately 400 described extant species and subspecies belonging to two families, the Sialidae (commonly called alderflies) and Corydalidae, the latter being further subdivided into the two subfamilies Corydalinae (dobsonflies) and Chauliodinae (fishflies) (Rivera‐Gasperín et al .…”

“…It comprises approximately 400 described extant species and subspecies belonging to two families, the Sialidae (commonly called alderflies) and Corydalidae, the latter being further subdivided into the two subfamilies Corydalinae (dobsonflies) and Chauliodinae (fishflies) (Rivera‐Gasperín et al . 2019). The winged adults are terrestrial and live for 1 week to a month (Villagomez & Contreras‐Ramos 2017), whereas the larvae are aquatic and spend one to several years feeding on small invertebrates (Anderson 2009).…”

To understand well on the source of COVID-19: Rhinolophus affinis-2

“…Megalopterans are vulnerable to pollution, logging, natural phenomena degrading water quality, and other human activities, as with other species. These insects are an outstanding ingredient for the recycling of food chains and materials in some freshwater ecosystems [10].…”

Allometry and morphological trait relationship in the sexually dimorphic Chinese dobsonfly, Acanthacorydalis asiatica (Wood-Mason, 1884) (Megaloptera, Corydalidae)

“…The order Megaloptera is a minor insect group including only two families, 35 genera, and 397 species in the world (Rivera-Gasperín et al 2019), and little attention has been paid to its behavior. However, this order of insects includes three genera in which the male develops exaggerated traits and conspicuous sexual dimorphism is known.…”