Definition of dobsonfly in US English:

nounPlural dobsonflies

• A large gray North American winged insect related to the alderflies. Its predatory aquatic larva (the hellgrammite) is often used as fishing bait.

  Family Corydalidae, order Neuroptera: several genera and species, in particular Corydalus cornutus

  Example sentences

  • ‘With the exception of the wetland species, dobsonflies are generally found in well-oxygenated lakes and streams.’
  • ‘Fishflies and dobsonflies are nocturnal, while alderflies are active during the day.’
  • ‘Eastern dobsonflies live east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada.’
  • ‘Whereas, the aquatic immature spends several years in a stream, the adult dobsonfly lives only about 7 days.’
  • ‘The fierce-looking, winged dobsonfly has a life cycle that lasts two to five years.’