Abstract
The insect orders Megaloptera and Neuroptera are closely related members of the superorder Neuropterida, a relict lineage of holometabolous insects that also includes the Raphidoptera. Megaloptera, composed of the families Sialidae and Corydalidae (including subfamilies Chauliodinae and Corydalinae), has fully aquatic larvae that occur in a wide variety of lotic and lentic habitats, including temporary streams. In total, 2 of 17 families of Neuroptera have aquatic larvae: Nevrorthidae live in the benthos of fast-flowing streams and Sisyridae reside on freshwater sponges. A third family of Neuroptera, Osmylidae, contains some water-dependent species that reside under leaves and rocks along the margins of waterbodies. We recognize 328 extant, described species of Megaloptera (composed of 116 species of Chauliodinae, 131 species of Corydalinae, and 81 species of Sialidae) and 73 species of aquatic Neuroptera (composed of 12 species of Nevrorthidae and 61 species of Sisyridae). Additionally, we estimate that 45 species of Osmylidae are water-dependent, although the ecology of this group is poorly understood. Chauliodinae and Corydalidae are both found in the New World, the Oriental region, and South Africa, but are absent from Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, tropical Africa, and boreal regions. Chauliodinae is quite speciose in Australia, whereas Corydalinae is absent. Sialidae is most speciose in temperate regions, and is absent from tropical Africa and portions of the Oriental region. Sisyridae and Osmylidae are nearly cosmopolitan, but the relict family Nevrorthidae is limited to Japan, the Mediterranean, and Australia. The discovery of many new species in recent years, particularly among Corydalidae in the Neotropics and China, suggests that our knowledge of aquatic neuropterid diversity is far from complete.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Achtelig, M., 1967. Über die anatomie des kopfes von Raphidia flavipes stein und die verwandtschaftsbeziehungen der Raphidiidae zu den Megaloptera. Zoologische Jahrbücher (Abteilung für Anatomie und Ontogenie) 84: 249–312.
Achtelig, M., 1978. Entwicklung und morphologie der inner und ausseren weiblichen Genitalorgane der Kamelhalsfliegen (Neuropteroidea: Raphidoptera). Entomologica Germanica 4: 140–163.
Afzelius, B. A. & R. Dallai, 1988. Spermatozoa of Megaloptera and Raphidoptera (Insecta, Neuropteroidea). Journal of Ultrastructure and Molecular Structure Research 101: 185–191.
Aspöck, U., 2002. Phylogeny of the Neuropterida (Insecta: Holometabola). Zoologica Scripta 31: 51–55.
Aspöck, H., U. Aspöck & H. Hölzel, 1980. Die Neuropteran Europas: Eine zusammenfassende Darstellug der Systematik, Okologie und Chlorologie der Neuropteroidea (Megaloptera, Raphidoptera, Planipennia) Europas. Goecke and Evers, Krefeld, Germany.
Aspöck, U., J. D. Plant & H. L. Nemeschkal, 2001. Cladistic analysis of Neuroptera and their systematic position within Neuropterida (Insecta: Holometabola: Neuropterida: Neuroptera). Systematic Entomology 26: 73–86.
Boudreaux, H. B., 1979. Arthropod Phylogeny, with Special Reference to Insects. Wiley, New York, NY.
Bowles, D. E., 2006. Spongillaflies (Neuroptera: Sisyridae) of North America with a key to the larvae and adults. Zootaxa 1357: 1–19.
Büning, J., 1998. The ovariole: structure, type and phylogeny. In Harrison F. W. & M. Locke (eds), Microscopic Anatomy of Invertebrates 11C, Insecta. Wiley-Liss, London: 897–932.
Contreras-Ramos, A., 1998. Systematics of the Dobsonfly Corydalus (Megaloptera: Corydalidae). Thomas Say Publications in Entomology: Monographs, Entomological Society of America, Lanham, Maryland.
Contreras-Ramos, A., 1999. List of species of Neotropical Megaloptera (Neuropterida). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 101: 274–284.
Contreras-Ramos, A., 2004. Is the family Corydalidae (Neuropterida, Megaloptera) a monophylum? Denisia 13: 135–140.
Davis, K. C., 1903. Sialididae of North and South America. Bulletin of the New York State Museum 68: 442–486.
Dolin, P. S. & D. C. Tarter, 1981. Life history and ecology of Chauliodes rastricornis Rambur and C. pectinicornis (Linnaeus) (Megaloptera: Corydalidae) in Greenbottom Swamp, Cabell County, West Virginia. Brimleyana 7: 111–120.
Dudgeon, D., 1999. Tropical Asian Streams: Zoobenthos, Ecology, and Conservation. Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong.
Evans, E. D., 1972. A study of the Megaloptera of the Pacific coastal region of the United States. Ph.D. dissertation. Oregon State University, Corvalis.
Fashing, N. J., 1994. A novel habitat for larvae of the fishfly Chauliodes pectinicornis (Megaloptera: Corydalidae). Banisteria 3: 25–26.
Glorioso, M. J., 1981. Systematics of the dobsonfly subfamily Corydalinae (Megaloptera: Corydalidae). Systematic Entomology 6: 253–290.
Grimaldi, D. & M. S. Engel, 2005. Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press, New York, NY.
Hamilton, R., M. Whitaker, T. C. Farmer, A. A. Benn & R. M. Duffield, 1996. A report of Chauliodes (Megaloptera: Corydalidae) in the purple pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea L. (Sarraceniaceae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 69: 257–259.
Harring, E. & U. Aspöck, 2004. Phylogeny of the Neuropterida: a first molecular approach. Systematic Entomology 29: 415–430.
Hayashi, F., 1989. Microhabitat selection by the fishfly larva, Parachauliodes japonicus, in relation to its mode of respiration. Freshwater Biology 21: 489–496.
Hayashi, F. & M. Nakane, 1989. Radio tracking and activity monitoring of the dobsonfly larva, Protohermes grandis (Megaloptera: Corydalidae). Oecologia 78: 468–472.
Hornschemeyer, T., 2002. Phylogenetic significance of the wing-base of the Holometabola (Insecta). Zoologica Scripta 31: 17–29.
Kristensen, N. P., 1981. Phylogeny of insect orders. Annual Review of Entomology 26: 135–157.
Kristensen, N. P., 1999. Phylogeny of endopterygote insects, the most successful lineage of living organisms. European Journal of Entomology 96: 237–253.
Liu, X. & D. Yang, 2006a. Revision of the genus Sialis from Oriental China (Megaloptera: Sialidae). Zootaxa 1108: 23–35.
Liu, X. & D. Yang, 2006b. Revision of the fishfly genus Ctenochauliodes van der Weele (Megaloptera: Corydalidae). Zoologica Scripta 35: 473–490.
Liu, X. & D. Yang, 2006c. Phylogeny of the subfamily Chauliodinae (Megaloptera: Corydalidae), with description of a new genus from the Oriental realm. Systematic Entomology 31: 652–670.
Liu, X., D. Yang & F. Hayashi, 2006. Discovery of Indosialis from China, with description of one new species (Megaloptera: Sialidae). Zootaxa 1300: 31–35.
New, T. R., 1983. A revision of the Australian Osmylidae: Kempyninae (Insecta: Neuroptera). Australian Journal of Zoology 31: 393–420.
New, T. R., 1986. A review of the biology of Neuroptera Planipennia. Neuroptera International, Supplemental Series 1: 1–57.
New, T. R., 1989. Planipennia, Lacewings. Handbuch der Zoologie, Vol. 4 (Arthropoda: Insecta), Part 30. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin.
New, T. R., 2003. The Neuroptera of Malesia. Brill, Leiden.
New, T. R. & G. Theischinger, 1993. Megaloptera, Alderflies and Dobsonflies. Handbuch der Zoologie, Vol. 4 (Arthropoda: Insecta), Part 33. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin.
Oswald, J. D., 2006. Index to the Neuropterid species of the world. Version 1.00. URL: http://entowww.tamu.edu/research/neuropterida/neur_sp_index/ins_search.html.
Parfin, S. I. & A. B. Gurney, 1956. The spongilla-flies, with special reference to those of the western hemisphere (Sisyridae, Neuroptera). Proceedings of the United States National Museum 105: 421–529.
Penny, N. D., 1993. The phylogenetic position of Chloroniella peringueyi (Megaloptera: Corydalidae) and its zoogeographic significance. Entomological News 104: 17–30.
Penny, N. D., P. A. Adams & L. A. Stange, 1997. Species catalog of the Neuroptera, Megaloptera, and Raphidioptera of America North of Mexico. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 50: 39–114.
Pittman, J. L., T. S. Turner, L. Frederick, R. L. Petersen, M. E. Poston, M. Mackenzie, R. M. Duffield, 1996. Occurrence of alderfly larvae (Megaloptera) in a West Virginia population of the purple pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea L. (Sarraceniaceae). Entomological News 107: 137–140.
Resh V. H., 1976. Life cycles of invertebrate predators of freshwater sponge. In Harrison F. W. & R. R. Cowden (eds) Aspects of Sponge Biology, Academic Press, New York, New York: 299–314.
Steffan, A. W., 1967. Ectosymbiosis in aquatic insects. In Henry S. M. (ed.), Symbiosis, Vol. II. Academic Press, New York.
Theischinger, G., 1983. The adults of the Australian Megaloptera. Aquatic Insects 5: 77–98.
Ward, P. H., 1965. A contribution to the knowledge of the biology of Osmylus fulvicephalus (Scopoli 1763) (Neuroptera, Osmylidae). Entomologist’s Gazette 16: 175–182.
Wheeler, W. W., M. Whiting, Q. D. Wheeler & J. M. Carpenter, 2001. The phylogeny of the extant hexapod orders. Cladistics 17: 113–169.
Whiting, M. F., 2002. Phylogeny of the holometabolous insect orders: molecular evidence. Zoologica Scripta, 31: 3–15.
Whiting, M. F., J. C. Carpenter, Q. D. Wheeler & W. C. Wheeler, 1997. The Strepsiptera problem: phylogeny of the holometabolous insect orders inferred from 18S and 28S Ribosomal DNA sequences and morphology. Systematic Biology 46: 1–68.
Zwick, P., 1967. Beschreibung der aquatischen Larve von Neurorthus fallax (Rambur) und Errichtung der neuen Planipennierfamilie Neurorthidae fam. nov. Gewasser und Abwasser 44/45: 65–86.
Acknowledgments
We thank Xingyue Liu for supplying information on the Megaloptera of China, including species distributions and richness estimates. Timothy New, Oliver Flint, and Norman Penny provided insight into the aquatic status of the Osmylidae. Atilano Contreras-Ramos provided information on the Neotropical Megaloptera. John Oswald’s Bibliography of the Neuropterida (URL: http://entowww.tamu.edu/research/neuropterida/bibhome.html) and Index to the Neuropterida Species of the World (URL: http://insects.tamu.edu/research/neuropterida/neur_sp_index/ins_search.html) were especially helpful for locating references and compiling the species information. Comments from two anonymous reviewers helped to improve the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Guest editors: E. V. Balian, C. Lévêque, H. Segers and K. Martens
Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cover, M.R., Resh, V.H. Global diversity of dobsonflies, fishflies, and alderflies (Megaloptera; Insecta) and spongillaflies, nevrorthids, and osmylids (Neuroptera; Insecta) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia 595, 409–417 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9035-z
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9035-z