Alderfly Larvae Missouri Department of Conservation

Alderfly larvae look a lot like fishflies and hellgrammites but are usually much smaller. Note that like fishflies, they lack gill tufts below the abdomen. There are 7 pairs of pointed appendages along the abdomen. The abdomen is tipped with a single tail filament that points straight back. Alderflies can be fairly light-colored, tan or brownish. Like the larvae of fishflies and dobsonflies, alderflies have 3 pairs of jointed legs in the upper part of the body, with each leg tipped with a tiny, 2-parted pincer; and the mouthparts are large pincers. Take care if handling alderfly larvae; they can pinch you with their stout mouthparts. Either hold them just behind the head, or use forceps to handle them. Similar species: Fishfly larvae are usually larger and have 8 pairs of pointed, fleshy appendages along the abdomen; although, like alderflies, they lack external abdominal gill tufts, fishflies have a pair of short fleshy filaments and a pair of hooks at the abdomen tip. Hellgrammites (larval dobsonflies) are usually dark brown or black, usually much larger, and have 8 pairs of pointed, leglike appendages along the abdomen, each with a cottony or hairy gill tuft as the base. There is a pair of hooked, leglike appendages at the hind tip — not a single tail filament.

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