Nigronia fasciata
Nigronia fasciata is a megalopterous dark fishfly in the Corydalidae family. The typical size of N. fasciata is 22 to 28 millimeters, or 2.2 to 2.8 centimeters.[1] Range: Eastern United States. Note: not present in Canada.
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| Species: | N. fasciatus |
Identification:
Head: Dark brown, often with reddish-brown on back of head.
Antenna: Black, feathered (flabellate) on both sides on male, knife-like (serrate) on female.
Thorax: Neck (pronotum) as wide as long; dark brown with some reddish-brown streaks and darker spots; rest of thorax dark brown.
Wings: Main ID - Wings are dark brown with an off-white (not bright white) stripe across the middle of the wings. The stripe extends from outside edge (costa) to just before inner wing margin and always has several brown spots, especially on the base half of the stripe. The base margin of the stripe also has a dip at center. Small off-white patch on outside edge (costal) near wing tip, and some white flecks. Hind wings also have off-white stripe across middle of wing, and white at base, and white flecks on lower half of wing.
Legs: Brown to reddish-brown, feet darker.
Abdomen: Abdomen black, with lighter patterned areas.
Similar Species: Nigronia serricornis usually has a uneven narrow, and somewhat broken bright white streak across the middle of the wing. Sometimes N. serricornis has a wide bright white stripe similar to Nigronia fasciata, but the stripe has no brown spots. N. serricornis hindwing has no white stripe across at midwing.
Flight Time: May to June, earlier in the southern states.
Habitat: Small streams with sandy bottoms and few rocks; and good water quality.
Food: Larvae feed on smaller aquatic animals. Adults may feed on nectar - drink sugar water in the lab.
Life Cycle: Females lay large egg masses in the afternoon from May to early June on the underside of leaves of branches over-hanging streams. After hatching (14 days), larvae drop into the water and feed on mostly Isopoda and Caddisflies. They will resort to cannibalism.
Synonyms: Walker, 1853
Chauliodes fasciatus, Chauliodes serricornis (Hagen id error), Chauliodes lunatus
References:
Catalogue of Specimens of Neuropterous Insects British Museum, 1852, Pt. 1 & 2 by Walker, pg. 201.
Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, 1862, Vol. 4: Synopsis of Neuroptera of North America, by Herman Hagen, pp. 190 to 191: Note: misidentified – actually N. fasciata female.
Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Philadelphia, 1863, Vol. 2 #3 by Walsh, pp. 180 to 181.
New York State Museum, 1903, Bulletin 68 by Needham, pp. 457 to 459.
Collections Zoologiques, 1910 Fascicle 5: Megaloptera by Weele, et al., pp. 71-72.
Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 1908, Vol. 10 by Banks, pg. 30.
Entomological News, 1916, Vol. 27, pg. 135 by McAtee.
An Introduction to Entomology, 1933 by Comstock, pp. 288-289.
Ohio State University, 1960, Thesis by Hazard: Revision of Chauliodes and Nigronia, pp. 5 to 15.
Psyche 1975, Vol. 82 by Tarter et al., pg. 82 to 88.
Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 1997-98, Vol. 50, #3: Species Catalog Neuroptera, Megaloptera and Raphidioptera of America by Penny, et al., pg. 94.
Types:
Syntype of Chauliodes fasciatus male by Walker, 1853. Type Locality: New York. In the British National Museum, London, England.
Syntype of Chauliodes lunatus by Hagen (nec Walsh), 1863. Type Locality: Illinois, Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania. Museum unknown.
References
- "Nigronia fasciata, Dark Fishfly, family Corydalidae". 7 October 2006. Retrieved 12 December 2014.