Notes on the foraging habits of adult Protohermes dobsonflies (Megaloptera: Corydalidae): Further evidence for anthophilous megalopterans

Abstract

As in other megalopterans, the life of adult dobsonflies in the natural habitats remains largely unexplored. Here, we report the foraging habits of the nocturnal dobsonflies Protohermes grandis and Protohermes immaculatus. Our field observations from a close distance revealed that adult P. grandis feeds on the floral nectar of the Japanese chestnut Castanea crenata (Fagaceae). Moreover, based on strong circumstantial evidence (the finding of a dozen pollen-bearing adults and their pollen-containing excrement), we concluded that adult P. immaculatus routinely visit the flowers of Schima wallichii ssp. noronhae (Theaceae). The present study is the first one to document floral resource utilization by adult dobsonflies in their natural habitats, and provides further evidence for anthophilous corydalids. We have briefly discussed why the flowervisiting habits of corydalids have been missed so far.