Alderfly

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Alderflies

Adult Sialis lutaria

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Hexapoda
Class:	Insecta
Subclass:	Pterygota
Infraclass:	Neoptera
Superorder:	Endopterygota or Neuropterida
Order:	Megaloptera
Family:	Sialidae Leach, 1815
Subfamily:	Sialinae

Genera

Sialis
and see text

Alderflies are megalopteran insects of the family Sialidae. They are closely related to the dobsonflies and fishflies as well as to the prehistoric Euchauliodidae. All living alderflies - about 66 species altogether^[1] - are part of the subfamily Sialinae, which contains between one and about seven genera according to different scientists' views. But in most classifications, all or almost all of these are treated as subgenera of Sialis.^[2]

Sialis lutaria larva

Sialinae have a body length of less than 25 mm (1 inch), long filamentous antennae and four large dark wings of which the anterior pair is slightly longer than the posterior. They lack ocelli and their fourth tarsal tarsal segment is dilated and deeply bilobed.

The females lay a vast number of eggs upon grass stems near water. The larvae are aquatic, active, armed with strong sharp mandibles, and breathe by means of seven pairs of abdominal branchial filaments. When full sized they leave the water and spend a quiescent pupal stage on the land before metamorphosis into the sexually mature insect.

Sialis lutaria is the most common alderfly in the United Kingdom^[3] and across much of Europe.

In addition to the living genus (or genera), there are several genera of fossil alderflies:^[2]

Dobbertinia (sometimes separated as subfamily Dobbertiniinae, but actually basal)
Eosialis
Proindosialis

The latter two are Sialinae.

[edit] Footnotes

^ Engel & Grimaldi (2007)
^ ^a ^b See references in Haaramo (2008)
^ ARKive (2006)

[edit] References

Arkive (2006): Alderfly - Sialis lutaria. Retrieved 2006-JUN-28.
Engel, Michael S. & Grimaldi, David A. (2007): The neuropterid fauna of Dominican and Mexican amber (Neuropterida, Megaloptera, Neuroptera). American Museum Novitates 3587: 1-58. PDF fulltext
Haaramo, Mikko (2008): Mikko's Phylogeny Archive: Sialidae. Version of 2008-MAR-11. Retrieved 2008-MAY-05.