Alderfly

{{Short description|Family of insects}} {{Automatic taxobox | fossil_range = {{fossil range|Toarcian|Recent}} | image = Sialis lutaria01.jpg | image_caption = Adult ''Sialis lutaria'' | taxon = Sialidae | authority = Leach, 1815 | subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies | subdivision = See text }}

'''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 species all together<ref name="GandE2007">{{Cite journal|last1=Engel |first1=M.S. |author2 = Grimaldi D.A. |year=2007 |title=The neuropterid fauna of Dominican and Mexican amber (Neuropterida, Megaloptera, Neuroptera) |journal= American Museum Novitates |issue=3587 |pages=1–58 |doi=10.1206/0003-0082(2007)3587[1:TNFODA]2.0.CO;2|hdl=2246/5880 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/169241 }}</ref> – are part of the subfamily '''Sialinae''', which contains nine extant genera.<ref name="Checklist 2022">{{Cite journal |last1=Martins |first1=Caleb C. |last2=Ardila-Camacho |first2=Adrian |last3=Rivera-Gasperín |first3=Sara Lariza |last4=Oswald |first4=John D. |last5=Liu |first5=Xingyue |last6=Contreras-Ramos |first6=Atilano |date=2022-04-08 |title=A world checklist of extant and extinct species of Megaloptera (Insecta: Neuropterida) |url=https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/view/1727 |journal=European Journal of Taxonomy |language=en |issue=812 |page=1727 |doi=10.5852/ejt.2022.812.1727 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2022EJTax.812.1727M |issn=2118-9773}}</ref>''Sialis lutaria'' is the commonest alderfly in the United Kingdom<ref>{{aut|Arkive}} (2006): [https://archive.today/20120717183331/http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/invertebrates_terrestrial_and_freshwater/Sialis_lutaria/more_info.html?section=all Alderfly - ''Sialis lutaria'']. Retrieved 28 June 2006.</ref> and across much of Europe.

==Description== Sialinae have a body length of less than 25 mm (1 inch), long filamentous antennae, and four large dark wings of which the anterior pair is slightly longer than the posterior. They lack ocelli and their fourth tarsal segment is dilated and deeply bilobed. Dead alderfly larvae are used as bait in fishing.<ref name="Fishing">[http://www.flyfishingentomology.com/Alderfly.htm 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 larvae 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 pupal stage on the land before metamorphosis 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 nine living genera,<ref name="Checklist 2022" /> there are several genera of fossil alderflies.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Xingyue |last2=Hayashi |first2=Fumio |last3=Yang |first3=Ding |date=2014-02-07 |title=Phylogeny of the family Sialidae (Insecta: Megaloptera) inferred from morphological data, with implications for generic classification and historical biogeography |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cla.12071 |journal=Cladistics |language=en |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=18–49 |doi=10.1111/cla.12071 |pmid=34758581 |issn=0748-3007|url-access=subscription }}</ref> [[Image:Sialis lutaria larva (aka).jpg|thumb|right|''Sialis lutaria'' larva]] thumb|Larva Family '''Sialidae''' *Subfamily †'''Sharasialinae''' Liu, Hayashi & D.Yang, 2015 **Genus †''Sharasialis'' Ponomarenko, 2012 Shar-Teeg, Mongolia, Late Jurassic (Tithonian) *Subfamily '''Sialinae''' Leach in Brewster, 1815 **Genus ''Austrosialis'' Tillyard, [1919] ***Species ''Austrosialis ignicollis'' Tillyard, [1919] ***Species ''Austrosialis maxmouldsi'' Theischinger, 1983 **Genus ''Caribesialis'' Ardila-Camacho et al., 2021 ***Species ''Caribesialis bifasciata'' (Hagen, 1861) **Genus †''Dobbertinia'' Handlirsch 1920 Green Series, Germany, Early Jurassic (Toarcian) ***Species †''Dobbertinia reticulata'' Handlirsch in Schröder, 1920 **Genus †''Eosialis'' Nel et al., 2002 ***Species †''Eosialis dorisi'' Nel et al., 2002 **Genus ''Haplosialis'' Navás, 1927 ***Species ''Haplosialis madegassa'' Navás, 1927 ***Species ''Haplosialis afra'' Navás, (1936) **Genus †''Haplosialodes'' Huang et al., 2016 ***Species †''Haplosialodes liui'' Huang et al., 2016 **Genus ''Ilyobius'' Enderlein, 1910 ***Species †''Ilyobius balticus'' (Wichard, 1997) ***Species ''Ilyobius bimaculata'' Banks, 1920 ***Species †''Ilyobius cascus'' (Engel & Grimaldi, 2007) ***Species ''Ilyobius chilensis'' (McLachlan, (1871) ***Species ''Ilyobius curvatus'' Liu et al., 2015 ***Species ''Ilyobius erebus'' Mendes et al., 2022<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mendes |first=Gabriela Caroline |last2=Nascimento |first2=Jeane Marcelle Cavalcante Do |last3=Fusari |first3=LíVia Maria |last4=Santos |first4=Mireile Reis Dos |last5=Hamada |first5=Neusa |date=2022-07-15 |title=A new species of Ilyobius Enderlein, 1910 (Megaloptera: Sialidae) from a threatened region in the Mantiqueira Mountain range (Brazil) |url=https://mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5165.3.2 |journal=Zootaxa |volume=5165 |issue=3 |pages=346–364 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.5165.3.2 |issn=1175-5334 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> ***Species ''Ilyobius flammatus'' Penny, (1981) ***Species ''Ilyobius flavicollis'' (Enderlein, 1910) ***Species ''Ilyobius hauseri'' Contreras-Ramos et al., (2005) ***Species †''Ilyobius herrlingi'' Wichard, 2002 ***Species ''Ilyobius mexicana'' (Banks, 1901) ***Species ''Ilyobius nigrocephalus'' Ardila-Camacho et al., 2021 ***Species ''Ilyobius nubila'' Navás, 1933 ***Species ''Ilyobius ranchograndis'' Contreras-Ramos, 2006 **Genus ''Indosialis'' Lestage, 1927 ***Species ''Indosialis bannaensis'' Liu et al., 2006 ***Species ''Indosialis beskonakensis'' Nel, 1988 ***Species ''Indosialis indica'' Liu et al., 2008 ***Species ''Indosialis minora'' (Banks, 1920) **Genus ''Leptosialis'' Esben-Petersen, 1920 ***Species ''Leptosialis africana Esben-Petersen, 1920'' **Genus †''Proindosialis'' Nel, 1988 ***Species †''Proindosialis cantalensis'' Nel, 1988 **Genus ''Protosialis'' van der Weele, 1909 ***Species ''Protosialis americana'' (Rambur, 1842) ***Species ''Protosialis australiensis'' (Tillyard, [1919) ***Species ''Protosialis australis'' Navás, 1927 ***Species ''Protosialis brasiliensis'' Navás, 1936 ***Species ''Protosialis minora'' Banks, 1920 ***Species †''Protosialis voigti'' (Wichard & Engel, 2006) **Genus ''Sialis'' Latreille, 1802 (approx. 90 species) ***Species ''Sialis abchasica'' 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'' Navás, 1916 ***Species ''Sialis dorochovae'' Vshivkova, 1985 ***Species ''Sialis dorsata'' Say, 1823 ***Species ''Sialis dreisbachi'' Flint, 1964 ***Species ''Sialis elegans'' Liu & D. Yang, 2006 ***Species ''Sialis flavicollis'' Enderlein, 1910 ***Species ''Sialis formosana'' Esben-Petersen, 1913 ***Species ''Sialis frequens'' Okamoto, 1905 ***Species ''Sialis fuliginosa'' F. Pictet, 1836 ***Species ''Sialis fumosa'' Navás, 1915 ***Species ''Sialis glabella'' Ross, 1937 ***Species ''Sialis gonzalezi'' Vshivkova, 1985 ***Species †''Sialis groehni'' Wichard, 1997 ***Species ''Sialis hamata'' Ross, 1937 ***Species ''Sialis hasta'' Ross, 1937 ***Species ''Sialis henanensis'' Liu & D. Yang, 2006 ***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'' Ross, 1937 ***Species ''Sialis klingstedti'' Vshivkova, 1985 ***Species ''Sialis kunmingensis'' Liu & D. Yang, 2006 ***Species ''Sialis kouwenkaii'' Tu et al., 2023<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tu |first=Yuezheng |last2=Zheng |first2=Yuchen |last3=Liu |first3=Xingyue |date=2023-09-06 |title=A new species of the alderfly genus Sialis Latreille, 1802 (Megaloptera: Sialidae) from southeastern China |url=https://mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5343.1.5 |journal=Zootaxa |volume=5343 |issue=1 |pages=83–90 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.5343.1.5 |issn=1175-5334 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> ***Species ''Sialis levanidovae'' Vshivkova, 1980 ***Species ''Sialis longidens'' Klingstedt, (1932) ***Species ''Sialis lutaria'' (Linnaeus, 1758) ***Species ''Sialis martynovae'' Vshivkova, 1980 ***Species ''Sialis melania'' 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'' Ross, 1937 ***Species ''Sialis morio'' Klingstedt, (1933) ***Species ''Sialis morrisoni'' K. Davis, 1903 ***Species ''Sialis muratensis'' Nel, 1988 ***Species ''Sialis nevadensis'' K. Davis, 1903 ***Species ''Sialis nigripes'' E. Pictet, 1865 ***Species ''Sialis nina'' Townsend, 1939 ***Species ''Sialis occidens'' Ross, 1937 ***Species ''Sialis rotunda'' Banks, 1920 ***Species ''Sialis sibirica'' McLachlan, 1872 ***Species ''Sialis sinensis'' Banks, (1940) ***Species ''Sialis sordida'' Klingstedt, (1933) ***Species ''Sialis spangleri'' Flint, 1964 ***Species ''Sialis strausi'' Illies, 1967 ***Species ''Sialis vagans'' Ross, 1937 ***Species ''Sialis vanderweelei'' Aspöck & Aspöck, 1983 ***Species ''Sialis velata'' Ross, 1937 ***Species ''Sialis versicoloris'' 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 *Subfamily '''Incertae sedis''' **Genus †''Chauliosialis'' Ponomarenko, 1976 ***Species †''Chauliosialis sukatshevae'' Ponomarenko, 1976 **Genus †''Nematophlebia'' Cockerell, 1915 ***Species †''Nematophlebia plicata'' Cockerell, 1915

=== Phylogeny === Phylogeny based on Liu et al., 2015 and Ardila-Camacho et al., 2021:<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Xingyue |last2=Hayashi |first2=Fumio |last3=Yang |first3=Ding |date=2015 |title=Phylogeny of the family S ialidae ( I nsecta: M egaloptera) inferred from morphological data, with implications for generic classification and historical biogeography |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cla.12071 |journal=Cladistics |language=en |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=18–49 |doi=10.1111/cla.12071 |pmid=34758581 |issn=0748-3007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ardila-Camacho |first1=Adrian |last2=Rivera-Gasperín |first2=Sara Lariza |last3=Martins |first3=Caleb Califre |last4=Contreras-Ramos |first4=Atilano |date=2021-11-30 |title=A reappraisal of the taxonomy of Neotropical Sialidae (Insecta: Megaloptera): with the description of a new genus from Cuba |journal=European Journal of Taxonomy |issue=782 |pages=21–54 |doi=10.5852/ejt.2021.782.1587 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2021EJTax.782...21A |issn=2118-9773}}</ref>{{clade |label1='''Sialidae''' |1={{clade |label1={{extinct}}'''Sharashianae''' |1={{extinct}}''Sharasialis'' |2={{extinct}}''Dobbertinia'' (putative position) |label3='''Sialinae''' |3={{clade |1=''Austrosialis'' |2={{clade |label1=''Stenosialis'' lineage |1={{clade |1=''Stenosialis'' |2=''Leptosialis'' }} |2={{clade |1={{clade |label1=''Ilyobius'' lineage |1={{clade |1={{clade |1=''Haplosialis'' |2={{clade |1=''Indosialis'' |2={{extinct}}''Eosialis'' }} }} |2=''Ilyobius'' }} |label2=''Sialis'' lineage |2={{clade |1=''Caribesialis'' |2={{clade |1=''Protosialis'' |2={{clade |1={{extinct}}''Proindosialis'' (putative position) |2=''Sialis'' }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} Note: the fossil genus {{extinct}}''Haplosialodes'' is not included in the phylogeny, as it was described one year later. However, it is likely most closely related to either ''Stenosialis'' or ''Haplosialis''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=LIU |first=XINGYUE |last2=LU |first2=XIUMEI |last3=XIA |first3=FANGYUAN |last4=WANG |first4=BO |date=2017-04-27 |title=First description of female of Haplosialodes liui Huang et al., 2016 (Megaloptera: Sialidae) from Cretaceous Burmese amber |url=https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4258.2.6 |journal=Zootaxa |volume=4258 |issue=2 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4258.2.6 |issn=1175-5334}}</ref> {{Clear|left}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category}} {{Wiktionary}}

* [http://bugguide.net/node/view/143 BugGuide] * [http://cedarcreek.umn.edu/insects/023001n.html Insects of Cedar Creek] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051203112016/http://cedarcreek.umn.edu/insects/023001n.html |date=2005-12-03 }}

Category:Megaloptera Category:Aquatic insects