Alderflies are megalopteran

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

s of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Sialidae. They are closely related to the

dobsonflies Dobsonflies are a subfamily of insects, Corydalinae, part of the Megalopteran family Corydalidae. The larvae (commonly called hellgrammites) are aquatic, living in streams, and the adults are often found along streams as well. The nine genera o ...

and

fishflies Fishflies are members of the subfamily Chauliodinae, belonging to the megalopteran family (biology), family Corydalidae. They are most easily distinguished from their closest relatives, Dobsonfly, dobsonflies, by the jaws (mandibles) and antenna ...

as well as to the

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

Euchauliodidae. All living alderflies – about 66

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

all together – are part of the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Sialinae, which contains between one and seven extant

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

according to different scientists' views.

Description

Sialinae have a body length of less than 25 mm (1 inch), long filamentous antennae, and four large dark

wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expresse ...

of which the anterior pair is slightly longer than the posterior. They lack

ocelli A simple eye (sometimes called a pigment pit) refers to a form of eye or an optical arrangement composed of a single lens and without an elaborate retina such as occurs in most vertebrates. In this sense "simple eye" is distinct from a multi-l ...

and their fourth tarsal segment is dilated and deeply bilobed. Dead alderfly larvae are used as bait in fishing.fly fishing entomology alderfy entry
/ref>

Life cycle

The females lay a vast number of eggs on grass stems near water. When the larvae are born they drop into the water or the ground nearby it and make their way into their new aquatic biome. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e are aquatic, active, armed with strong sharp mandibles, and breathe by means of seven pairs of abdominal branchial filaments. When full sized, which takes between one and two years, they leave the water and spend a quiescent

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

l stage on the land before

metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some inse ...

into the sexually mature insect. Adult alderflies stay near to the water in which they had lived when they were younger. Once in their adult stage, they tend to live only 2 to 3 weeks, which they spend mainly in reproducing.

Classification

In addition to the seven living genera, there are several genera of

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

alderflies. Sialis_larva_Packard

Family Sialidae *Genus †'' Dobbertinia'' Handlirsch 1920 Green Series, Germany, Early Jurassic (

Toarcian The Toarcian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, an age and stage in the Early or Lower Jurassic. It spans the time between 182.7 Ma (million years ago) and 174.1 Ma. It follows the Pliensbachian and is followed by the Aalenian. The Toarcian ...

) *Genus †'' Sharasialis'' Ponomarenko 2012 Shar-Teeg, Mongolia, Late Jurassic (

Tithonian In the geological timescale, the Tithonian is the latest age of the Late Jurassic Epoch and the uppermost stage of the Upper Jurassic Series. It spans the time between 152.1 ± 4 Ma and 145.0 ± 4 Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by the K ...

) *Subfamily Sialinae **Genus '' Austrosialis'' Tillyard,

919 __NOTOC__ Year 919 ( CMXIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By Place Byzantine Empire * March 25 – Romanos Lekapenos, admiral (''droungarios'') of the ...

/small> ***Species '' Austrosialis ignicollis'' Tillyard,

/small> ***Species '' Austrosialis maxmouldsi'' Theischinger, 1983 **Genus †'' Eosialis'' Nel et al., 2002 ***Species †'' Eosialis dorisi'' Nel et al., 2002 **Genus '' Indosialis'' Lestage, 1927 ***Species '' Indosialis bannaensis'' X.-y. Liu et al., 2006 ***Species '' Indosialis beskonakensis'' Nel, 1988 ***Species '' Indosialis indica'' X.-y. Liu et al., 2008 ***Species '' Indosialis minora'' (Banks, 1920) **Genus '' Leptosialis'' Esben-Petersen, 1920 ***Species '' Leptosialis africana Esben-Petersen, 1920'' **Genus '' Nipponosialis'' Kuwayama, 1962 ***Species '' Nipponosialis amamiensis'' Kuwayama, 1964 ***Species '' Nipponosialis jezoensis'' (Okamoto, 1910) ****Subspecies '' Nipponosialis jezoensis jezoensis'' (Okamoto, 1910) ****Subspecies '' Nipponosialis jezoensis kuwayamai'' Hayashi & Suda, 1995 ***Species '' Nipponosialis kumejimae'' (Okamoto, 1910) **Genus †'' Proindosialis'' Nel, 1988 ***Species †'' Proindosialis cantalensis'' Nel, 1988 **Genus '' Protosialis'' van der Weele, 1909 ***Species '' Protosialis afra'' Navás, (1936) ***Species '' Protosialis americana'' (Rambur, 1842) ***Species '' Protosialis australiensis'' (Tillyard, 919) ***Species ''Protosialis australis'' Navás, 1927 ***Species †''Protosialis baltica'' (Wichard, 1997) ***Species ''Protosialis bifasciata'' (Hagen, 1861) ***Species ''Protosialis bimaculata'' Banks, 1920 ***Species ''Protosialis brasiliensis'' Navás, 1936 ***Species †'' Protosialis casca'' (Engel & Grimaldi, 2007) ***Species '' Protosialis chilensis'' (McLachlan, (1871) ***Species '' Protosialis flammata'' Penny, (1982) ***Species '' Protosialis flavicollis'' (Enderlein, 1910) ***Species '' Protosialis hauseri'' Contreras-Ramos et al., 2005 ***Species '' Protosialis madegassa'' Navás, 1927 ***Species '' Protosialis mexicana'' (Banks, 1901) ***Species '' Protosialis minora'' Banks, 1920 ***Species '' Protosialis nubila'' Navás, 1933 ***Species '' Protosialis ranchograndis'' Contreras-Ramos, 2006 ***Species †'' Protosialis voigti'' (Wichard & Engel, 2006) **Genus ''

Sialis ''Sialis'' is a genus of alderfly belonging to the order Megaloptera family Sialidae Alderflies are megalopteran insects of the family Sialidae. They are closely related to the dobsonflies and fishflies as well as to the prehistoric Euc ...

'' Latreille, 1802 ***Species Approximately 90 ***Species ''

Sialis abchasica ''Sialis'' is a genus of alderfly belonging to the order Megaloptera family Sialidae Alderflies are megalopteran insects of the family Sialidae. They are closely related to the dobsonflies and fishflies as well as to the prehistoric Euc ...

'' Vshivkova, 1985 ***Species '' Sialis aequalis'' Banks, 1920 ***Species '' Sialis americana'' (Rambur, 1842) ***Species '' Sialis annae'' Vshivkova, 1979 ***Species '' Sialis arvalis'' Ross, 1937 ***Species '' Sialis atra'' Navás, (1928) ***Species '' Sialis bifida'' Hayashi & Suda, 1997 ***Species '' Sialis bilineata'' Say, 1823 ***Species '' Sialis bilobata'' Whiting, 1991 ***Species '' Sialis californica'' Banks, 1920 ***Species '' Sialis chilensis'' McLachlan, (1871) ***Species '' Sialis concava'' Banks, 1897 ***Species '' Sialis contigua'' Flint, 1964 ***Species '' Sialis cornuta'' Ross, 1937 ***Species ''

Sialis didyma ''Sialis'' is a genus of alderfly Alderflies are megalopteran insects of the family Sialidae. They are closely related to the dobsonflies and fishflies as well as to the prehistoric Euchauliodidae. All living alderflies – about 66 spec ...

'' Navás, 1916 ***Species ''

Sialis dorochovae ''Sialis'' is a genus of alderfly belonging to the order Megaloptera family Sialidae. Description These alderflies are small and mainly brown with a relatively heavy body and forewings reaching a length of 10 to 20 millimeters. Females are u ...

'' Vshivkova, 1985 ***Species '' Sialis dorsata'' Say, 1823 ***Species '' Sialis dreisbachi'' Flint, 1964 ***Species '' Sialis elegans'' X.-y. Liu & D. Yang, 2006 ***Species '' Sialis flavicollis'' Enderlein, 1910 ***Species '' Sialis formosana'' Esben-Petersen, 1913 ***Species '' Sialis frequens'' Okamoto, 1905 ***Species ''

Sialis fuliginosa ''Sialis'' is a genus of alderfly belonging to the order Megaloptera family Sialidae. Description These alderflies are small and mainly brown with a relatively heavy body and forewings reaching a length of 10 to 20 millimeters. Females are u ...

'' F. Pictet, 1836 ***Species '' Sialis fumosa'' Navás, 1915 ***Species '' Sialis glabella'' Ross, 1937 ***Species ''

Sialis gonzalezi ''Sialis'' is a genus of alderfly belonging to the order Megaloptera family Sialidae. Description These alderflies are small and mainly brown with a relatively heavy body and forewings reaching a length of 10 to 20 millimeters. Females are u ...

'' Vshivkova, 1985 ***Species †'' Sialis groehni'' Wichard, 1997 ***Species '' Sialis hamata'' Ross, 1937 ***Species '' Sialis hasta'' Ross, 1937 ***Species '' Sialis henanensis'' X.-y. Liu & D. Yang, 2006 ***Species †'' Sialis herrlingi'' Wichard, 2002 ***Species '' Sialis imbecilla'' Say, 1823 ***Species '' Sialis immarginata'' Say, 1823 ***Species '' Sialis infumata'' Newman, 1838 ***Species '' Sialis iola'' Ross, 1937 ***Species '' Sialis itasca'' Ross, 1937 ***Species '' Sialis japonica'' van der Weele, 1909 ***Species '' Sialis jianfengensis'' D. Yang et al., 2002 ***Species ''

Sialis joppa ''Sialis'' is a genus of alderfly belonging to the order Megaloptera family Sialidae. Description These alderflies are small and mainly brown with a relatively heavy body and forewings reaching a length of 10 to 20 millimeters. Females are u ...

'' Ross, 1937 ***Species ''

Sialis klingstedti ''Sialis'' is a genus of alderfly belonging to the order Megaloptera family Sialidae. Description These alderflies are small and mainly brown with a relatively heavy body and forewings reaching a length of 10 to 20 millimeters. Females are u ...

'' Vshivkova, 1985 ***Species '' Sialis kunmingensis'' X.-y. Liu & D. Yang, 2006 ***Species '' Sialis levanidovae'' Vshivkova, 1980 ***Species '' Sialis longidens'' Klingstedt, (1932) ***Species ''

Sialis lutaria ''Sialis lutaria'', common name alderfly, is a species of alderfly belonging to the order Megaloptera family Sialidae. Distribution This species is mainly present in Austria, Belgium, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, the ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) ***Species '' Sialis martynovae'' Vshivkova, 1980 ***Species ''

Sialis melania ''Sialis'' is a genus of alderfly belonging to the order Megaloptera family Sialidae. Description These alderflies are small and mainly brown with a relatively heavy body and forewings reaching a length of 10 to 20 millimeters. Females are us ...

'' Nakahara, 1915 ****Subspecies '' Sialis melania kyushuensis'' Hayashi & Suda, 1995 ****Subspecies '' Sialis melania melania'' Nakahara, 1915 ****Subspecies '' Sialis melania tohokuensis'' Hayashi & Suda, 1995 ****Subspecies '' Sialis melania toyamaensis'' Hayashi & Suda, 1995 ***Species ''

Sialis mohri ''Sialis mohri'' is a species of alderfly in the family Sialidae Alderflies are megalopteran insects of the family Sialidae. They are closely related to the dobsonflies and fishflies as well as to the prehistoric Euchauliodidae. All living ...

'' Ross, 1937 ***Species ''

Sialis morio ''Sialis'' is a genus of alderfly belonging to the order Megaloptera family Sialidae. Description These alderflies are small and mainly brown with a relatively heavy body and forewings reaching a length of 10 to 20 millimeters. Females are u ...

'' Klingstedt, (1933) ***Species '' Sialis morrisoni'' K. Davis, 1903 ***Species '' Sialis muratensis'' Nel, 1988 ***Species '' Sialis nevadensis'' K. Davis, 1903 ***Species ''

Sialis nigripes ''Sialis'' is a genus of alderfly belonging to the order Megaloptera family Sialidae. Description These alderflies are small and mainly brown with a relatively heavy body and forewings reaching a length of 10 to 20 millimeters. Females are u ...

'' E. Pictet, 1865 ***Species ''

Sialis nina ''Sialis'' is a genus of alderfly belonging to the order Megaloptera family Sialidae. Description These alderflies are small and mainly brown with a relatively heavy body and forewings reaching a length of 10 to 20 millimeters. Females are u ...

'' Townsend, 1939 ***Species '' Sialis occidens'' Ross, 1937 ***Species '' Sialis rotunda'' Banks, 1920 ***Species ''

Sialis sibirica ''Sialis'' is a genus of alderfly belonging to the order Megaloptera family Sialidae. Description These alderflies are small and mainly brown with a relatively heavy body and forewings reaching a length of 10 to 20 millimeters. Females are u ...

'' McLachlan, 1872 ***Species '' Sialis sinensis'' Banks, (1940) ***Species ''

Sialis sordida ''Sialis'' is a genus of alderfly belonging to the order Megaloptera family Sialidae. Description These alderflies are small and mainly brown with a relatively heavy body and forewings reaching a length of 10 to 20 millimeters. Females are u ...

'' Klingstedt, (1933) ***Species '' Sialis spangleri'' Flint, 1964 ***Species '' Sialis strausi'' Illies, 1967 ***Species '' Sialis vagans'' Ross, 1937 ***Species '' Sialis vanderweelei'' U. Aspöck & H. Aspöck, 1983 ***Species '' Sialis velata'' Ross, 1937 ***Species '' Sialis versicoloris'' X.-y. Liu & D. Yang, 2006 ***Species '' Sialis yamatoensis'' Hayashi & Suda, 1995 ***Species '' Sialis zhiltzovae'' Vshivkova, 1985 **Genus '' Stenosialis'' Tillyard, (1919) ***Species '' Stenosialis australiensis'' Tillyard, (1919) ***Species '' Stenosialis hollowayi'' Theischinger, 1983 ''Sialis lutaria'' is the commonest alderfly in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

(2006)
Alderfly - ''Sialis lutaria''
Retrieved 28 June 2006. and across much of Europe.

References

External links

BugGuide

{{Authority control Megaloptera Aquatic insects