Family CORYDALIDAE

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Introduction

This family is distinguished from the Sialidae by the presence in the adults of ocelli and by having all tarsal segments simple, and in the larvae by having eight pairs of lateral abdominal gills and a pair of anal prolegs. The 22 Australian species are of medium to large size (length of forewing 17–50 mm).

Two subfamilies are recognized: the Corydalinae and the Chauliodinae. All Australian species belong to the Chauliodinae, which differs from the Corydalinae by the absence in the adults of a forwardly directed posterolateral spine on the head and the absence of gonocoxites on segment 9 of the males. Much geographic variation exists in some species, particularly in Protochauliodes biconicus. Distinct units of supraspecific rank can be recognized in Archichauliodes; for their taxonomic recognition a treatment of the Chauliodinae on a world-wide basis is needed.

The family Corydalidae has a world wide distribution with less than 250 species described. The Australian fauna represents about 10% of the world fauna.

General References

Aspöck, H., Aspöck, U. & Hölzel, H. (unter Mitarbeit von H. Rausch) 1980. Die Neuropteren Europas: eine zusammenfassende Darstellung der Systematik, Ökologie und Chorologie der Neuropteroidea (Megaloptera, Raphidioptera, Plannipennia) Europas. Krefeld : Geocke & Evers Vol. 1 495 pp., Vol. 2, 355 pp.

Flint, O.S. 1983. Nothochauliodes penai, a new genus and species of Megaloptera from Chile (Neuroptera: Corydalidae). Entomological News 94: 15-17

Glorioso, M.J. 1981. Systematics of the dobsonfly subfamily Corydalinae (Megaloptera: Corydalidae). Systematic Entomology 6: 253-290

Riek, E.F. 1970. Megaloptera (Alderflies). pp. 465-471 in CSIRO (ed.). The Insects of Australia. A textbook for students and research workers. Carlton : Melbourne University Press 1029 pp.

Theischinger, G. 1983. The adults of the Australian Megaloptera. Aquatic Insects 5: 77-98

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