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scythemantis — Dobsonfly
Published: 2012-07-14 04:19:15 +0000 UTC; Views: 2873; Favourites: 50; Downloads: 22
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Description
I’m visiting my home state of Maryland for the month, and came upon the first adult dobsonfly I’ve seen in about fifteen years, a huge and gorgeous female outside a Royal Farms just last night.I just happened to be carrying my favorite childhood insect book (the Golden Guide to North American Insects) in my pocket for nostalgia, and used the appropriate page to pick her up and move her. Unlike the male, her short jaws can give a very painful bite!
I hope this wasn’t teasing her.
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Comments: 29
This is sweet! 
I love dobsonflies.
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Wonderful shot and wonderful specimen! Do you collect or did you let her go?
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Ooh lovely! I had a male for a short while, my dog had snatched him out of midair and he could no longer fly.
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question: You wouldn't happen to be researching entomology or like majoring it in college or something would you?
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Dunno how I missed this one, but I actually have something [semi]relevant to add!
My mother came across a deceased male adult Dobsonfly on one of her walks, and for whatever reason brought it home in an envelope to show us. I think she wanted to know what it was, or something. Anyways, unless she's finally remembered and moved it/gotten rid of it, it's still in said envelope in the freezer at home. -_-;
Anyways, nonrelevant rant over. >.>
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Heh; I wonder if she was thinking "Who is THIS handsome fellow?"
... probably not... but still...
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oh THAT'S what those things are called! i'm one of the less squeamish counselors at a summer camp in south carolina, and i'm always getting called to relocate those little beauties from the bath house. though i don't remember ever seeing a male one in my 15 years there. i suppose their lives are shorter?
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lol, wow that's one big bug. Good photo of her.
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Now that's a fascinating bug. Love the looong body juxstaposed by the short head and humongous chompers at the end.
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Nice shot! It's cool that things worked out so you were able to take it.
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That very same golden book was one of my favorites as a child as well, i had many ranging from fossils to weather, but the insect and arachnid books were by far my favorite. Even though most of the work is nearly 50+ years old these books still hold up better than most calssification books ive seen in recent years. Great find my friend!
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Yeah, the golden guide to insects was my first nature book as a kid and I still think it's the very best introduction to entomology a person could ever read, laying out every major group so concisely and memorably.
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Heehee I see these all over in Pennsylvania! I love these guys so much, even if they are the most intimidating looking!
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Ahhhh.... the good ol' helgramite! Always used to find the larvae in local waters back upstate!
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Hahaha!
Very cool pic!
Love the way the Dobsonfly seems to be reading about her family.
That is a great moment.
This is what life is all about!
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I have yet to see one of these, but today I picked up the corpse of a variety of rhinoceros beetle that used to be rare in this latitude until recently. Great find!
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I HAVE THAT BOOK. Or had. It's in storage right now.
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I'm confused.
the ilustration showed the male having wings and long mandibles while the female had no wing but short mandibles.This one had wings and short mandibles.
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The book shows a male and an aquatic larva, no illustration of a female.
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That's a larva in the picture.
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One of the more primitive classes of insects, but still very impressive!
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