{{Short description|Subfamily of insects}} {{for|the insect commonly called a fishfly in Canada|Mayfly}} {{Automatic taxobox | oldest_fossil = Middle Jurassic | image = Fishfly.jpg | image_caption = Male fishfly (Chauliodinae sp). | taxon = Chauliodinae | authority = Davis, 1903 | subdivision_ranks = Genera | subdivision = See text }}
'''Fishflies''' are members of the subfamily '''Chauliodinae''', belonging to the megalopteran family Corydalidae.<ref>See references in Haaramo (2008)</ref> They are most easily distinguished from their closest relatives, dobsonflies, by the jaws (mandibles) and antennae. In contrast to the large jaws (especially in males) of dobsonflies, fishfly mandibles are not particularly noticeable or distinctive, and the males have feathery antennae similar to many large moths. ''Chauliodes pectinicornis'', the "summer fishfly", is a well-known species in North America.
Fishflies lay their eggs upon vegetation overhanging streams, whence the larvae, as soon as hatched, drop into the water, and go about preying upon aquatic animals. When ready to transform to pupae, they crawl out upon the bank and are then found in cavities under stones or even under the bark of trees.<ref>{{Cite NIE|wstitle=Fish-Fly|short=x|vb=x}}</ref>
Fishflies are quite large, with a wingspan of {{convert|2.5|to|3|in|cm|0}}. Certain omnivorous larvae will eat aquatic plants as well as animal material, while others are predatory, consuming small animals including vertebrates like minnows and tadpoles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/fishfly-larvae|title=Fishfly Larvae|website=Field Guide|publisher=Missouri Department of Conservation|access-date=14 April 2026|date=19 February 2024}}</ref> They may live up to around seven days as largely non-feeding adults. Their entire lifespan is several years, but most of this time is spent as larvae.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://riveredgenaturecenter.org/bug-othe-week-fishfly-again|title=Bug o’the Week Fishfly Again|website=Riveredge|last=Redmond|first=Kate|access-date=14 April 2026|date=1 June 2022}}</ref>
There are about 15 genera with nearly 110 species. The New World genera include ''Dysmicohermes'', ''Orohermes'', ''Neohermes'', ''Nothochauliodes'', ''Protochauliodes'', ''Archichauliodes'', ''Chauliodes'' and ''Nigronia''. Three genera are endemic to the Afrotropical Realm and are found in Madagascar and South Africa - ''Platychauliodes'', ''Madachauliodes'' and ''Taeniochauliodes. Archichauliodes'' and ''Protochauli-odes'' found in the Australian Realm. The genera endemic to the Oriental Realm are ''Anachauliodes'', ''Ctenochauliodes'', ''Neochauliodes'' and ''Parachauliodes.''<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Liu|first1=Xingyue|last2=Yang|first2=Ding|date=2006|title=Phylogeny of the subfamily Chauliodinae (Megaloptera: Corydalidae), with description of a new genus from the Oriental Realm|journal=Systematic Entomology|language=en|volume=31|issue=4|pages=652–670|doi=10.1111/j.1365-3113.2006.00346.x|doi-access=free|bibcode=2006SysEn..31..652L}}</ref>
== Genera == The following genera are included as of 2022:<ref>{{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) |journal=European Journal of Taxonomy |issue=812 |page=1727 |doi=10.5852/ejt.2022.812.1727 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2022EJTax.812.1727M |issn=2118-9773}}</ref> * ''Anachauliodes'' <small>Kimmins, 1954</small> * ''Apochauliodes'' <small>Theischinger, 1983</small> * ''Archichauliodes'' <small>van der Weele, 1909</small> * ''Chauliodes'' <small>Latreille, 1796</small> * †''Cretochaulus'' <small>Ponomarenko, 1976</small> * ''Ctenochauliodes'' <small>van der Weele, 1909</small> * ''Dysmicohermes'' <small>Munroe, 1953</small> * †''Eochauliodes'' <small>Liu et al., 2012</small> * †''Jurochauliodes'' <small>Wang & Zhang, 2010</small> * ''Madachauliodes'' <small>Paulian, 1951</small> * ''Neochauliodes'' <small>van der Weele, 1909</small> * ''Neohermes'' <small>Banks, 1908</small> * ''Nigronia'' <small>Banks, 1908</small> * ''Nothochauliodes'' <small>Flint, 1983</small> * ''Orohermes'' <small>Evans, 1984</small> * ''Parachauliodes'' <small>van der Weele, 1909</small> * ''Platychauliodes'' <small>Esben-Petersen, 1924</small> * ''Protochauliodes'' <small>van der Weele, 1909</small> * ''Puri'' <small>Cardoso-Costa et al., 2013</small> * ''Taeniochauliodes'' <small>Esben-Petersen, 1924</small>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Wikispecies-inline|Chauliodinae}} * [https://bugguide.net/node/view/742917 BugGuide.net] * [https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identification=Fishfly InsectIdentification.org] * [https://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/insects/dobsonflies/dobsonflies.htm University of Kentucky] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080521023200/http://people.virginia.edu/~sos-iwla/Stream-Study/Catalog/FGFishfly.HTML University of Virginia] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080219064252/http://www.insectidentification.org/user-photos.asp InsectIdentification.org] Fishfly photos
{{Megaloptera}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q4967711}}
Category:Corydalidae Category:Aquatic insects Category:Insect subfamilies
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