124/150: Good Indicators of Water Quality, True Facts about the Fishfly

Animalia: Arthropoda: Insecta: Megaloptera: Corydalidae: Nigronia serricornis (Say 1824)

Nigronia serricornis is neither a fish nor a fly, instead falling in the insect order Megaloptera (including both Fishflies, Alderflies and Dobsonflies or Hellgrammites). Females lay eggs in masses near open fast flowing water. Larvae are aquatic and predatory, feeding on insects and worms with their strong mandibles. Larvae grow slowly, taking up to 3 years to reach the final larval stage. When mature, larvae crawl onto land to pupae in soil or in rotting logs at the edge of streams, keeping their mandibles exposed for defense. The adults are dark brown, up to 5 cm long, with large wings that make them very clumsy fliers. Adults are typically non-feeding and live for up to a week, spotted flying around streams or around porch lights. Fishfly larvae only live in clear clean water, so they are commonly used as an environmental indicator species of very good water quality. #Canada150 #Biodiversity150

Here’s the barcode sequence information for this species:

Process ID: SWCHL586-15

nucleotide sequence

AACTCTTTATTTTCTCTTTGGTGCTTGGTCAGGTATAGTTGGAACATCACTTAGTTTATTAATTCGGGCTGAATTAGGGCAACCTGGTTCATTAATTGGAGATGATCAAATTTATAATGTTATTGTAACAGCTCATGCATTTGTAATAATTTTTTTTATAGTAATACCTGTAATAATTGGGGGGTTTGGAAATTGATTAGTCCCTTTAATATTAGGGGCCCCCGATATAGCATTTCCTCGAATAAATAATATAAGTTTTTGACTTCTTCCTCCTTCATTAACCCTACTTTTATCAAGCTCTTTCGTTGAAAGAGGAGCAGGAACAGGATGAACCGTTTACCCTCCATTAGCTTCTGGGATTGCCCATGCTGGAGCTTCTGTAGATTTAGCTATTTTTAGCCTTCATTTAGCGGGGGTATCATCAATTTTAGGGGCAGTTAATTTCATTACTACAGTTATTAATATACGATCTCCTGGAATAACTTTTGACCGAATACCTTTATTTGTCTGATCTGTCGCAATTACAGCCCTGCTCCTTCTTTTATCTCTCCCTGTTCTTGCTGGAGCTATTACAATACTTTTAACTGATCGTAATTTAAATACATCATTTTTTGACCCTGCCGGAGGAGGTGACCCAATTCTATACCAACATTTATTT

amino acid sequence

TLYFLFGAWSGMVGTSLSLLIRAELGQPGSLIGDDQIYNVIVTAHAFVMIFFMVMPVMIGGFGNWLVPLMLGAPDMAFPRMNNMSFWLLPPSLTLLLSSSFVESGAGTGWTVYPPLASGIAHAGASVDLAIFSLHLAGVSSILGAVNFITTVINMRSPGMTFDRMPLFVWSVAITALLLLLSLPVLAGAITMLLTDRNLNTSFFDPAGGGDPILYQHLF

Learn more about it’s BIN (Barcode Index Number): BOLD:AAA1274