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Insect Identification Key Based on your answers to the questions, you have identified your insect as being in the order Megaloptera! Members of this order include:
dobsonflies, alderflies and fishflies (not to be confused with the fishflies in the order Ephemeroptera). Etymology:
Megaloptera comes from the Greek words megalo, which means large, and ptera, which means wings. This refers to the characteristically large wings present in the members of this order. General characteristics: Number of species worldwide:
about 300 Classification: Kingdom Animalia For a list of all of the orders in this key, click here: List of Orders. Classification note:
At one time, insects in the order Megaloptera were included within the order Neuroptera. Although many species in this order have “fly” in their common names, they are not true flies. True flies are in the order Diptera. Oops! If this doesn’t appear to be the order for your insect, go back through the key and look more carefully at your insect while answering the questions again. Your perseverance will reward you! I would like to return to the start of this key. Unless noted otherwise, photographs on this website are the property of the photographers and may not be reused without written permission from the photographers. To obtain permission, request it here. Photos at the top of this website are by: Leslie Mertz, Ph.D., LMERTZ@nasw.org. Reproduction of material from any KnowYourInsects.org webpages without written permission is strictly prohibited.
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