Dobsonfly

About the Dobsonfly

Males have enormous mandibles that look terrifying but are actually too large to effectively bite humans. Their larvae (hellgrammites) are fierce aquatic predators used as fishing bait. They spend 2-3 years as aquatic larvae before emerging as adults that live only 3-7 days. They are indicators of clean, well-oxygenated water. The eastern dobsonfly can have a 13 cm wingspan. Females can actually bite harder than males despite having smaller mandibles. Over 60 species.