Megaloptera is an order of insects. It contains the alderflies, dobsonflies and fishflies, and there are about 300 known species. The order's name comes from Ancient Greek, from mega-(μέγα-) "large" + pteryx (πτέρυξ) "wing", in reference to the large, clumsy wings of these insects.

The Megaloptera are always aquatic as immatures. They live under stones or submerged vegetation and feed on a variety of small aquatic organisms. Large species, often called hellgrammites, may require several years of growth to reach maturity.

The Megaloptera are often considered to be the most primitive group of endopterygote (with internal development of wings as imaginal discs in the larvae) insects. The order Raphidioptera constitutes their sister group, and together with Neuroptera they form the monophyletic group of the Neuropterida.

Nov 16, 2020 · An online resource devoted to North American insects, spiders and their kin, offering identification, images, and information.

This chapter focuses on the Megaloptera, which include the alderflies, dobsonflies, fishflies, and hellgrammites and are a small order of neuropterous insects with 328 described species. They are often considered to be the most primitive group of insects with complete metamorphosis.

Megaloptera is arguably the oldest extant clade of Holometabola with aquatic representatives, having originated during the Permian before the fragmentation of Pangea, since about 230 Ma. It includes 54 genera (35 extant and 19 extinct genera), …

Megaloptera is an order of insects. It contains the alderflies, dobsonflies and fishflies, and there are about 300 known species. The order's name comes from Ancient Greek, from mega- (μέγα-) "large" + pteryx (πτέρυξ) "wing", in reference to the large, clumsy wings of these insects.

Order Megaloptera (alderflies, dobsonflies) Head prognathous (mouthparts located anteriorly on a horizontal head); biting mouthparts; filiform antennae; 2 pairs of large similar wings, at rest held rooflike or nearly flat over abdomen; larvae elongated, with biting mandibles.

Jan 1, 2009 · The Megaloptera, which include the alderflies, dobsonflies, fishflies, and hellgrammites, are a small order of neuropterous insects with 328 described species. They are often considered to be the most primitive group of insects with complete metamorphosis.

The order Megaloptera, formerly considered a suborder (Sialodea) of Neuroptera, is generally considered to be among the most primitive of the holometabolous insect orders. It contains two families, the Sialidae (alderflies) and the Corydalidae, the latter subdivided into the Corydalinae (dobsonflies) and the Chauliodinae (fishflies).