Editing Dobsonfly (section)

==Life cycle==
The [[metamorphosis]] from larva to adult in dobsonflies is one of the simplest of the [[holometabolous]] orders,<ref name=sl/> yet the life cycle begins with an intriguing ritualized [[courtship display]] (most of the following comes from Simonsen et al. 2008 <ref name=sd/> and all pertains to ''Corydalus''; other courtship rituals remain unknown). Males compete with each other for females, aggressively fluttering the wings and trying to place their long mandibles underneath the body of the opponent in order to flip him into the air. Afterwards, the male approaches a female from the side and touches her with his antennae. At first the female reacts somewhat aggressively, moving the head from side to side with mandibles wide apart. However, she then allows the male to come closer and place his mandibles over her wings in a perpendicular position, a position he holds until the female signals reception to mating.

At least in ''[[Protohermes]]'', during copulation the male attaches to the female's [[insect genitalia|genitalia]] a large, globular [[spermatophore]] about {{cvt|4|mm|in|frac=8}} long and wide. The spermatophore consists of two parts: a large gelatinous mass, and a smaller seminal duct containing the sperm. After copulation, the female proceeds to spread her legs wide apart, curl the abdomen under the chest, and [[Nuptial gift|eat the gelatinous part of the spermatophore]].<ref name=hf1992>Hayashi, Fumio (1992). Large spermatophore production and consumption in dobsonflies ''Protohermes''. Japanese Journal of Entomology 60 59-66.</ref>

[[Oviposition]] occurs along rocky walls of streams at night, from May to September in ''Corydalus''.<ref name=cr1997/><ref name=mb>Mangan, Brian (1992). Oviposition of the Dobsonfly (''Corydalus cornutus'', Megaloptera) on a Large River. American Midland Naturalist 127 348-354.</ref> The females deposit coin-size [[egg]] masses containing on average one thousand grey, cylindrical eggs, each egg about {{cvt|1.5|mm|in|frac=16}} long and {{cvt|0.5|mm|in|frac=32}} wide. This mass is covered by a layer of a chalky, white substance, which probably protects the eggs from [[desiccation]] and overheating. Females tend to deposit egg masses at relatively few sites, resulting in grouped egg masses.<ref name=mb/>

One to two weeks after oviposition, the eggs hatch and the first [[instar]] larvae either fall directly into the stream or if not, immediately search for water. There the larvae live for up to five years, going through 10-12 instar [[moulting|molts]].<ref name=cr1997/> When they have finally reached maturity, the larvae leave the water and find a rock, log, or anthropogenic debris, typically close to the stream but sometimes up to 40 m away. There they construct a chamber for pupation and spend several days to several weeks as prepupae before shedding the exoskeleton and spending about a week to two weeks as [[pupae]].<ref name=cr1997/><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Walsh|first1=B. D.|last2=Riley|first2=C. V.|date=2004|title=The Hellgrammite Fly (''Corydalis cornutus'', Linn.)|journal=American Entomologist|language=en|volume=50|issue=1|pages=50–51|doi=10.1093/ae/50.1.50|issn=2155-9902|doi-access=free}}</ref> The pupae are yellow-orange with dark spots on the dorsum of the abdomen, covered in minute setae, and exarate (i.e. the developing appendages and mouthparts are attached only at their proximal ends).<ref name=hd/> Although the males have a small tubercle on the [[prothoracic]] sternum and a slightly wider head than the females, the mandibles are not as noticeably divergent as in the adults.<ref name=mb1994>Mangan, Brian (1994). Pupation Ecology of the Dobsonfly ''Corydalus cornutus'' (Corydalidae: Megaloptera) along a Large River. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 9 57-62.</ref> Finally, the pupae emerge from the chamber, leaving behind the larval and pupal [[Exuviae|skin]]s.<ref name=cr1997/>