Corydalus is a genus of large flying insects in the Corydalidae family, commonly known as dobsonflies. They are endemic to North, Central and South America and there are about 40 known species. Members of the genus have wing lengths of up to 85 millimetres. They are sexually dimorphic, with the males having large mandibles used to grasp the females during mating while the females have smaller jaws. The larvae are known as hellgrammites and are aquatic predators.DigiMorphBugGuide

Diagnosis

Adults The adults of this genus can be separated from all other Neotropical dobsonflies by having four palpomeres (palpal segments) instead of three, though there are two South American species with only a partial subdivision in the last palpomere. Species in the genus vary much in size and may have a forewing length of 33.5–85.3 mm (1.32–3.36 in). They also show a lot of intraspecific variation in size.

Larvae The larvae are similar to larval Platyneuromus, as both have mucle attachment scars on the head and thoracic nota. Once these are confirmed, the Platyneuromus and Corydalus can be separated based on small details found below.

Corydalus: Abdominal setae are erect, dark macrosetae which are either striated, inflated, and seemingly closed at the apex OR elongated and striated OR elongated and completely smooth. Often with short, blunt submental projections that do not go past the anterior margin of the mental plates, but some South American species have similar submental projections as Platyneuromus.

Platyneuromus: Abdominal setae are clear and either tubular and widened with an open apical portion OR thin, smooth and with an inconspicuous apical hole. Always with long and pointed submental projections that go past the anterior margin of the mental plates.

Etymology Corydalus is a transliteration from the Greek κορδαλος (korúdalos)Perseus meaning a crested lark or the flower, larkspur, apparently related to Greek corys (κορυς) a helmet crest.Borror, D. J. Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms, Mayfield Publishing Company, 1960. , Cite: 20598 The name probably refers to the long mandibles of the male which might be considered to resemble the crest of a lark, or perhaps, the decorative crests of a helmet.

Species The following 41 (or 40) extant and extinct species are included as of 2026: Corydalus affinis Burmeister, 1839 - Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela Corydalus amazonas Contreras-Ramos, 1998 - Brazil Corydalus armatus Hagen, 1861 - Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela Corydalus arpi Navás, 1936 - Brazil, Venezuela Corydalus australis Contreras-Ramos, 1998 - Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay Corydalus batesii McLachlan, 1867 - Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela Corydalus bidenticulatus Contreras-Ramos, 1998 - Mexico, Honduras USA (Arizona) Corydalus cephalotes Rambur, 1842 - Brazil Corydalus clauseni Contreras-Ramos, 1998 - Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador Corydalus clavijoi Contreras-Ramos, 2002 - Venezuela Corydalus colombianus Contreras-Ramos, 1998 - Colombia Corydalus cornutus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Eastern dobsonfly - Eastern North America, Canada Corydalus crossi Contreras-Ramos, 2002 - Venezuela Corydalus diasi Navás, 1915 - Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay Corydalus ecuadorianus Banks, 1948 - Ecuador Corydalus flavicornis Stitz, 1914 - Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Peru, Venezuela Corydalus flinti Contreras-Ramos, 1998 - Venezuela Corydalus hayashii Contreras-Ramos, 2002 - Venezuela Corydalus hecate McLachlan, 1866 - Brazil, Peru(?), Venezuela(?) Corydalus holzenthali Contreras-Ramos, 1998 - Bolivia, Peru Corydalus ignotus Contreras-Ramos, 1998 - Brazil, French Guiana Corydalus imperiosus Contreras-Ramos, 1998 - Argentina Corydalus liui Ardila-Camacho & Contreras-Ramos, 2018 - Columbia Corydalus longicornis Contreras-Ramos, 1998 - Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador Corydalus luteus Hagen, 1861 - Southern United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama Corydalus magnus Contreras-Ramos, 1998 - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua Corydalus mayri Contreras-Ramos, 2002 - Venezuela Corydalus muzoensis Ardila-Camacho, 2014 - Colombia Corydalus neblinensis Contreras-Ramos, 1998 - Venezuela Corydalus nubilus Erichson, 1848 - Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Venezuela Corydalus parvus Stitz, 1914 - Ecuador, Peru Corydalus peruvianus (Davis, 1903) - Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Venezuela Corydalus primitivus Van der Weele, 1909 - Argentina, Bolivia Corydalus ralphi Martins et al., 2022 - Venezuela Corydalus sophiae Ardila-Camacho & Contreras-Ramos, 2018 - Colombia Corydalus tesselatus Stitz, 1914 - Colombia, Venezuela Corydalus testaceus* (Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau & Audinet-Serville, 1828) - Indonesia Corydalus texanus Banks, 1903 - Southwest United States, Guatemala(?), Mexico Corydalus tridentatus Stitz 1914 - Brazil †Corydalus vetustus Oppenheim, 1888 - Late Jursassic - Germany Corydalus wanningeri Contreras-Ramos & von der Dunk, 2010 - Venezuela

*This is a doubtful identification because Corydalus is seemingly strictly a New World genus.

References