dob·son·fly

(dŏb′sən-flī′)

Any of various insects of the subfamily Corydalinae, especially Corydalus cornutus of eastern North America, having two pairs of large, many-veined wings and in the male long, pincerlike mandibles.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

dobsonfly

(ˈdɒbsənˌflaɪ)

n, pl -flies

(Animals) US and Canadian a large North American neuropterous insect, Corydalis cornutus: the male has elongated horn-like mouthparts and the larva (a hellgrammite or dobson) is used as bait by anglers: suborder Megaloptera. See also hellgrammite

[C20: origin uncertain, perhaps after the surname Dobson]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

dob•son•fly

(ˈdɒb sənˌflaɪ)

n., pl. -flies.

a very large, soft-bodied neuropteran insect, Corydalus cornutus, commonly seen in fluttery flight above streams, noted for its abundant aquatic larvae. Compare hellgrammite.

[1900–05; appar. after surname Dobson]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

dobsonfly - large soft-bodied insect having long slender mandibles in the male; aquatic larvae often used as bait

Corydalus cornutus, dobson fly, dobson

neuropteran, neuropteron, neuropterous insect - insect having biting mouthparts and four large membranous wings with netlike veins

Corydalus, genus Corydalus, genus Corydalis, Corydalis - type genus of the Corydalidae

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

Adult bass also feed on large insect larvae that live on the bottom, notably the hellgrammite, a larval dobsonfly that reaches 4 inches and inhabits flowing waters with gravelly substrate.

the Critter Connection to Largemouth Bass

Actually, megaloptera is the insect order that includes fishflies, alderflies, and this column's insect horror star, the dobsonfly. To be specific, I am writing about the eastern dobsonfly (Corydalus cornutos).

Oh, it's real

A more lighthearted salute to nature could be seen in the sketchy black silhouettes of an insect, maybe a dobsonfly or a winged termite, in the works from the series "Insecte," 1991-94, here represented by three pieces, numbered 1,2 and 3, all from 1992.

Marie Orensanz: ROMAN ROAD

The dobsonfly genus Platyneuromus Weele contains three species and is restricted to Mexico and Central America (Clorioso and Flint, 1984).

Notes on Sex Ratio and Oviposition of Platyneuromus honduranus (Navas, 1928) in Chiapas, Mexico (Megaloptera, Corydalidae)

The eastern dobsonfly (Corydalus cornutus), with a wingspan of almost 6 inches, is the largest Megalopteran in the northeast.

Forest health corner

These products include native vegetables, fruits, fish, and even an aquatic insect (the zazamushi [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], or dobsonfly) that have been identified as endangered regional foods from Hokkaido in the north to Nagasaki in the south.

Eric C. Rath and Stephanie Assmann, eds., Japanese Foodways, Past and Present