NRE516 Aquatic Entomology
Lab Notes for Megaloptera (Alderflies, Fishflies and Dobsonflies) and the Aquatic Neuroptera (Spongillaflies) and Lepidoptera (Moths)

Additional Recommended Readings

Readings in Usinger, R. L. (ed.) Aquatic Insects of California. University of California Press: Berkeley, California:

• Chandler, H. P. 1956. Megaloptera (Chapter  8, pp. 229-233), and Neuroptera (Chapter 9, pp. 234-236)
• Lange, W. H., Jr. 1956. Aquatic Lepidoptera (Chapter 11, pp. 271-288)

Gurnery, A. B. and S. Parfin. 1959. Neuroptera, pp. 973-980 in Freshwater Biology, 2nd Edition. W. T. Edmondson (ed). John Wiley & Sons: New York, NY.

As you can see, the order Megaloptera has been included in the Neuroptera by some authors in the recent past. 

Notes on Morphology/Taxonomy

Note that the pupa is obtect and adecticous in Lepidoptera, with legs closely oppressed to the body. The cremaster, or posterior hook, functions in anchoring the pupa to the cocoon. Pyralid adults emerge underwater, and the pupal exuvium and larval sclerites remain in place beneath the pupal cocoon after adult ecolosion. The larva cuts a semi-circular slit just prior to pupation which allows the adult to escape. Recall that in the Trichoptera, the pupa is exarate and decticous, the pharate adult swims or crawls to the water surface, and thus the pupal exuvium is not found in association with the pupal cell after emergence.

Comparison of Pupation in Trichoptera, Aquatic Lepidoptera, Megaloptera and Aquatic Neuroptera

Recent Synonymies

Pyralidae = Pyralididae = Pyraustidae
Petrophila = Parargyractis

List of Taxa Presented

References on Pupation/Functional Morphology of Pupae

Hickin, N. W. 1967. Caddis larvae: larvae of the British Trichoptera. Hutchinson, London. 480 pp. (see pp. 35-49)

Hinton, H. E. 1949. On the function, origin, and classification of pupae. Proc. Trans. S. Lond. Ent. Nat. Hist. Soc. 1947-1948: 111-154.

Kimmins, D. E. 1962. Keys to the British species of aquatic Megaloptera and Neuroptera with ecological notes. Freshwater Biological Association Scientific Publication No. 8., 2nd ed. 23 pp.

Lepneve, S. G. 1964. Larvae and pupae of Annulipalpia, Trichoptera. Fauna of the U.S.S.R. Zool. Inst. Akad. Nauk. S.S.S.R., New Ser. 88: 1-638. (Translation of the Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1971.) (see pp. 79-95)

Additional References:

Baker, J. R., and H. H. Neunzig.1968. The egg masses, eggs, and first instar larvae of eastern North American Corydalidae. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 61:1181-1187.

Canterbury, L. E., and S. E. Neff. 1980. Eggs of Sialis (Sialidae: Megaloptera) in eastern North America. The Canadian Entomologist 112:409-419.

Contreras-Ramons, A. 1998. Systematics of the Dobsonfly genus Corydalus (Megaloptera: Corydalidae). Thomas Say Publications in Entomology: Monographs, Entomological Society of America, Lanham, Maryland.

Cuyler, R. D. 1958. The larvae of Chauliodes Latreille (Megaloptera: Corydalidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 51: 582-586.

Dethier, M., and J. P. Haennia. 1986. Practical introduction to the systematics of organisms of French continental waters. 7. Planipennia, Megaloptera and Lepidoptera with aquatic larvae. Bull. Mens. Soc. Linn. Lyon 55: 201-224. (French: English summary)

Fischer, C. and P. Ohm. 1985. Lacewings with water-dwelling larvae in Schleswig-Holstein (West Germany) (particularly Megaloptera and Planipennia:Sialidae, Osmylidae, Sisyridae). Faun-Oekologische Mitteilungen 5(13/14): 405-418. (German; English summary)

Flint, O. S. 1964. New species and new state records of Sialis (Neuroptera:Sialidae). Entomological News 75: 9-13.

Forbes, W. T. M. 1954. Lepidoptera of New York and neighboring states. III. Noctuidae. Memoirs of the Cornell University Agricultural Experimental Station 329: 1-433.

Forbes, W. T. M. 1960. Lepidoptera of New York and neighboring states. IV. Agaristidae through Nymphulidae, including butterflies. Memoirs of the Cornell University Agricultural Experimental Station 371: 1-188.

Kimmins, D. E. 1962. Keys to the British species of aquatic Megaloptera and Neuroptera with ecological notes. Freshwater Biological Association Scientific Publication No. 8., 2nd ed. 23 pp.

Lange, W. H. 1956. A generic revision of the aquatic moths of North America: (Lepidoptera:Pyralidae, Nymphulinae). Wasmann Journal of Biology 14: 59-144.

MacKay, M. R. 1962. Larvae of North American Tortricinae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Canadian Entomologist Supplement 28: 1-182.

McCafferty, W. P., and M. C. Minno. 1979. The aquatic and semiaquatic Lepidoptera of Indiana and adjacent areas. The Great lakes Entomologist 12:179-187.

Munroe, E. G. 1972. Pyraloidea. Pyralidae (part). Pp. 1-304, Fasc. 13.1, A-C in R. B. Dominick, ed., The moths of America north of Mexico. E. W. Classey Ltd.: London, UK.

Neunzig, H. H. 1966. Larvae of the genus Nigronia Banks (Neuroptera: Corydalidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 68: 11-16.

Parfin, S. I. 1952. The Megaloptera and Neuroptera of Minnesota. Am. Midl. Nat. 47: 421-434.

Parfin, S. I., and A. B. Gurney. 1956. The spongilla-flies, with special reference to those of the Western Hemisphere (Sisyridae, Neuroptera). Proceedings of the United States National Museum 105: 421-529.

Poirrier, M. A., and Y. M. Arceneaux. 1972. Studies on southern Sisyridae (spongillaflies) with a key to the third-instar larvae and additional sponge-host records. American Midland Naturalist 88: 455-458.

Ross, H. H. 1937. Nearctic alder flies of the genus Sialis (Megaloptera, Sialidae). Bulletin of the Illinois Natural History Survey 21: 57-78.

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