From the loins of the Ugly Stick: Behold the Dobsonfly
A male Dobsonfly. (Photo | Didier Descouens)
June tends to spell the onslaught of those hazy summer nights; and with it, a flood of perplexed (and often petrified) citizens taking to social media to inquire about a peculiar insect bearing a presence in and around New Hampshire homes.
Seemingly daunting in size, and downright disturbing in appearance, this particular creature creates quite the inquisitive stir throughout mid-June in New England.
First, some personal context…
I recall my younger years of taking full fledged advantage of many a mid-summer’s night to cruise the backroads of rural southern New Hampshire in my souped-up ‘87 Silverado.
This was, of course, fresh out of high school; before the confines of full time work, a family, a house and other responsibilities that now keep many of us home at night.
That ol’ pickup - a long-bed equipped with a 350 motor and 35-inch tires - packed a whopping 9 Miles Per Gallon; which meant routine fuel stops to keep the tunes and cool night air flowing.
I recall many a summer night slumped over the handle of a gas pump, with the only sounds being the hard chugging of petrol from pump to truck tank, and the dull hum of the desolate gas station’s florescent parking lamps. Those lights cut through the otherwise pitch black night sky; drawing in every light-attracted insect from miles out.
The mighty Piscataquog River flowed through most of my travel ways; bringing with it, a torrent of mayflies, midges, mosquitoes and other sub-aquatic fauna.
Even before a career in bug busting, I couldn’t help but study and scrutinize the mob of night-time insects drawn to the lights. Moths and Mayflies mostly, with the healthy orb-weaving spiders dotting the corners to pick-off the seemingly oblivious flying insects.
(Photo | Dehaan)
Around mid-June however, a behemoth of a creature would make an ominous appearance from the river banks and perch itself under those gas stations lights.. A creature so sinister in appearance (and size), that one would surely mistake it as an imaginative horror movie prop; destined for the sideshow exhibits of Coney Island.
A disfigured moth? Perhaps a scrawny bat? Not so.
I’m talking about the “winged bug beastie” known as Corydalus cornutus - the Eastern Dobsonfly.
If Looks Could Kill
The Dobsonfly is one of the largest non-lepidopteran insects in America (lepidoptera consisting of moths and butterflies, which can be equally large).
With a wingspan of up to 7 Inches, its no wonder the Dobsonfly is often confused with a bat as it flaps and flutters around urban lighting in the summer night air.
It was quite a sight under the neon lights to see these pterodactyl-like invaders bounce off the gas station awnings or perch around the support posts of the building.
The dobsonfly is found in most of eastern North America. Most usually near the swift flowing, unpolluted streams in which its larvae develop. Dobsonfly eggs are typically laid close to the water's edge and hatch at night a few weeks later.
These newly emerged larvae, which are equally grotesque in appearance, are known as hellgrammites. Prized as a quality bait for fishermen, hellgrammites are voracious predators, snatching up anything that swims or ambles by in the water current, such as aquatic insects and small fish.
The final larval stage of the hellgrammite comes equipped with strong (and intimidating) mandible jaws, before finally digging a hole in moist soil to pupate. What emerges some time later is the adult Dobsonfly.
Male Dobsonflies are known for their incredibly large jaws, which are used for sparring with other males during breeding (similar to the horns on deer).
Females are outfitted with smaller, yet still sizable jaws.
A Hellgrammite, the larval stage of the Dobsonfly. (Photo | Walther Ishikawa)
With regard to their impact on humans, fear not, mortal citizen.
Although intimidating in appearance, the Dobsonfly’s presence on earth is short-lived; as individuals die weeks after emerging and laying eggs to continue the cycle.
And as for the beastly headgear, the Dobsonfly’s looks are worse than their bite. When handled roughly by human hands (or the nosy pooch), Dobsonflies may bite. But while the bite is painful, the effects of such do not last very long, and are not poisonous. In fact, adult Dobsonflies don’t even really eat anything - saving their energy stores for the breeding cycle before their short life comes to an end.
Growing up on a river, my fascination with this complex creature started at a young age, as the alien-like Hellgrammites emerged from the soil of my childhood property every few years. As if the larval hellgrammite wasn’t fascinating enough, my first observation of an adult Dobsonfly was one of both immense inquiry, and sheer awe that nature could conjure something so down-right ugly.
But then again, who am I to judge?
Beauty is, after all, in the eye of the beholder… right?
If you live near a water source, be on the lookout for the Dobsonfly. Revel in the creature’s dashing “good looks” and gawk in amazement of one of nature’s more revolting - yet very beneficial - creations.
