Saw-combed fishfly
The saw-combed fishfly starts its life as a big larva in woodland streams. The larva hides and waits, then snaps up small animals with its strong jaws. The grown-up has wings, but it lives only about a week.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
Its larva can live in the water for up to three years.
The larva is often the biggest insect hunter in its stream.
The mother lays her eggs on leaves or bridges above the water, so the babies drop right into the stream when they hatch.
The grown-ups are not good at flying, so they stay close to where they grew up.
A tiny midge larva sometimes lives in a silk tube on its back and eats its crumbs.
Most asked questions about Saw-combed fishfly
?What is a hellgrammite?
It is the name for the water-living larva of fishflies like this one.
?What does the saw-combed fishfly eat?
Its larva eats small water animals. The grown-up does not eat.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Nigronia serricornis
- Group
- Other insects
- Family
- Corydalidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Megaloptera > Corydalidae
- Lives on
- North America
- Also known as
- Hellgrammite, Fishfly
Where the facts come from
- Nigronia serricornis (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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