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 species all together – are part of the subfamily Sialinae, which contains between one and seven extant genera 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 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.fly fishing entomology alderfy entry
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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 seven living genera, there are several genera of fossil alderflies.

Family Sialidae
*Genus †'' Dobbertinia'' Handlirsch 1920 Green Series, Germany, Early Jurassic (Toarcian)
*Genus †'' Sharasialis'' Ponomarenko 2012 Shar-Teeg, Mongolia, Late Jurassic ( Tithonian)
*Subfamily Sialinae
**Genus '' Austrosialis'' Tillyard, 919/small>
***Species '' Austrosialis ignicollis'' Tillyard, 919/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'' Latreille, 1802
***Species Approximately 90
***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'' 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'' 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'' 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'' Ross, 1937
***Species ''Sialis klingstedti'' Vshivkova, 1985
***Species '' Sialis kunmingensis'' X.-y. Liu & D. Yang, 2006
***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'' 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 (2006)
Alderfly - ''Sialis lutaria''
Retrieved 28 June 2006. and across much of Europe.

References

External links

BugGuide

{{Authority control

Megaloptera
Aquatic insects