Eastern Dobsonfly

Description:

This female dobsonfly spent the day resting on the brick of our house. They are very large insects up to 140 mm in length. The females retain the powerful jaws of their larval stage and can bite hard and draw blood. Males gain an impressive set of mandibles which can be half as long as their body length. However they cannot bite humans with them.

Habitat:

Larvae live in clear, fast running streams with stony bottoms for several years before pupating into adults. The adults only live up to a week or so and are mainly active at night looking for mates.