Dark Fishfly

Nigronia serricornis

''Nigronia serricornis'' has many common names including; hellgrammites or fishflies or saw-combed fishfies. The genus ''Nigronia'' has one other North American member ''N. fasciatus'' which lives in much of the same territory and is quite similar in all regards. They are holometabolous insects with an aquatic larval stage. ''N. serricornis'' is a common inhabitant of woodland streams in North America and they are often the largest insect predator found in 2nd and 3rd order streams. The larvae are a sit-and -wait ambush predators that feed on a large variety of invertebrates. Studies have shown that ''N. serricornis'' has a varying diet throughout the seasons.
Dark Fishfly Larva - Nigronia serricornis Habitat: River's edge Geotagged,Hellgrammite,Nigronia,Nigronia serricornis,Spring,United States,fishfly larva,larva

Distribution

Despite this small organism’s limited ability to disperse it has managed to spread throughout the Eastern United States. The range of ''N. serricornis'' expands northward from Florida into Ontario, and west to the US Rocky Mountains. By using genetic analyses, Heilveil and Berlocher have identified that there are six major clades of ''N. serricornis''. The ancestral clade in the north end of their range, represent the initial colonization of ''N. serricornis'' on the Eastern US. This clade was separated from the derived clade by the Appalachian Mountains.
Hellgrammite (Dark Fishfly Larva) - Nigronia serricornis These beasties bite. I avoid handling them, but did so in this case to remove it from my net. Habitat: Small woodland pond Dark Fishfly,Fall,Geotagged,Hellgrammite,Nigronia,Nigronia serricornis,United States,dark fishfly larva,fishfly larva,larva

Food

''N. serricomis'' is an active predator and has a varied diet consisting of many smaller invertebrates such as midges, caddisflies, black flies, mayflies, ostracods, and small crustaceans. Studies have shown that ''N. serricomis'' changes its diet from season to season and even from month to month. ''N. serricomis'' larvae feed by foraging with their mandibles open and quickly closing them upon contact with prey.

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderMegaloptera
FamilyCorydalidae
GenusNigronia
SpeciesN. serricornis
Photographed in
United States of America