''Acanthacorydalis fruhstorferi'' is a species of

dobsonfly Dobsonflies are a subfamily of insects, Corydalinae, part of the Megalopteran family (biology), family Corydalidae. The larvae (commonly called hellgrammites) are aquatic insect, aquatic, living in streams, and the adults are often found along s ...

native to Vietnam and China. It holds the title of largest aquatic insect by wingspan according to the

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

at 21.6 cm. The title formerly belonged to the Brazilian damselfly '' Microstigma rotundatum''. ''Acanthacorydalis fruhstorferi'' was first described by

Herman Willem van der Weele Herman Willem van der Weele (8 October 1879 – 29 August 1910) was a Dutch entomologist. He was the son of Dutch painter Herman Johannes van der Weele (1852–1930). Works * Ascalaphiden: monographisch. HW van der Weele, ME baron de Sélys-Lo ...

in 1907 from a specimen from "Than-Moi" (probably in Lạng Sơn Province),

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. It is found throughout

Southern China South China () is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is that most of its citizens are not n ...

(

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

Guangxi Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to t ...

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...

, and

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

) and

Northern Vietnam Northern Vietnam ( vi, Bắc Bộ) is one of three geographical regions within Vietnam. It consists of three administrative regions: the Northwest (Vùng Tây Bắc), the Northeast (Vùng Đông Bắc), and the Red River Delta (Đồng Bằng S ...

. Liu and associates proposed in 2005 that the species is most closely related to '' Acanthacorydalis sinesis'' citing morphological similarities relative to similar Chinese genera of '' Acanthacorydalis''. Specifically the wing and body colouration, yet differed by ''A.sinesiss lack of sagittal dorsal division.

Life history

Eggs are deposited between stones near flowing water. Larvae inhabit streams or rivers with low contamination. Larvae are sensitive to pH changes, with instances of ''A. fruhstorferi'' populations being reduced due to developments in urbanized locations such as Panzhihua, Sichuan. Typical of other dobsonflies, ''A. fruhstorferi'' larvae prey on aquatic insects, juvenile amphibians and small fish. Adults display strong

phototaxis Phototaxis is a kind of taxis, or locomotory movement, that occurs when a whole organism moves towards or away from a stimulus of light. This is advantageous for phototrophic organisms as they can orient themselves most efficiently to receive li ...

and are often seen near waterside lamps. Adult ''A. fruhstorferi'' are not predatory, and instead feed on

tree sap 01 or '01 may refer to: * The year 2001, or any year ending with 01 * The month of January * 1 (number) Music * 01'' (Richard Müller album), 2001 * ''01'' (Son of Dave album), 2000 * ''01'' (Urban Zakapa album), 2011 * ''O1'' (Hiroyuki Sawa ...

. ''A. fruhstorferi'' individuals display sexual dimorphism. With both body and weapon size being different between sexes. Head size is not different between individuals of differing sexes, and nuptial gifts are smaller relative to other dobsonflies.

Etymology

The genus name ''Acanthacorydalis'' is a combination of the Greek Ἀκάνθα ('' acantha'', thorny) with κορυδαλλις (''corydalus'', pertaining to κορυς, the crest of a

helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...

). In this specific instance, κορυδαλλις alludes to the genus ''

Corydalus ''Corydalus'' is a genus of large flying insects in the Corydalidae family, commonly known as dobsonflies. They are endemic to North, Central and South America and there are about 35 known species. Members of the genus have wing lengths of up to ...

'' found in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, for whom it shares the same family with. The specific epithet ''fruhstorferi'' pertains to 19th century entomologist

Hans Fruhstorfer Hans Fruhstorfer (7 March 1866, in Passau, Germany – 9 April 1922, in Munich) was a German explorer, insect trader and entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera. He collected and described new species of exotic butterflies, especially in Ada ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2116962 Corydalidae Insects of China Insects described in 1907 Guinness World Records

Life history

Etymology

See also

References