Sialis

Sialis is a genus of alderfly belonging to the order Megaloptera family Sialidae.

This article is about the alderfly genus. For the eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis), see Eastern bluebird. For the erectile dysfunction medication Cialis, see Tadalafil.

Sialis
Sialis lutaria
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Megaloptera
Family: Sialidae
Subfamily: Sialinae
Genus: Sialis
Latreille, 1803
Species
  • See text

Description

These alderflies are small and mainly brown with a relatively heavy body and forewings reaching a length of 10 to 20 millimeters. Females are usually larger than males. They have wings with large cells forming a network. The upper edge of the front wings consists of almost square cells. The species belonging to the genus Sialis have less than fifteen square cells, while the other Megaloptera have more cells. The adults are diurnal and fly from May to June on the riparian vegetation.

Eggs of Sialis fuliginosa

Females lay on the leaves of the shore plants up to 2000 eggs in groups of about 200. The resulting hatching larvae fall directly into the water. They live in the water at first, and later buried in the mud, up to 18 meters of depth. These larvae feed on larvae of insects, worms and small molluscs. They usually need two years to develop, overwintering as larvae. Pupation takes place on the shore under the soil.

Distribution

Species of this genus are present in most of Europe.

List of species
  • Sialis abchasica (Vshivkova 1985)
  • Sialis dorochovae (Vshivkova 1985)
  • Sialis fuliginosa (Pictet 1836)
  • Sialis gonzalezi (Vshivkova 1985)
  • Sialis klingstedti (Vshivkova 1985)
  • Sialis lutaria (Linnaeus 1758)
  • Sialis morio (Klingstedt 1932)
  • Sialis nigripes (Pictet 1865)
  • Sialis sibirica (McLachlan 1872)
  • Sialis sordida (Klingstedt 1932)
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gollark: And apparently may have *some* effect in reducing how likely you are to get it.
gollark: Also, the "disaster is inevitable" thing seems... wrong. I think if stuff is handled correctly humanity can weather the problems we currently are and are going to experience and, er, do well. Problem is that there are lots of ways to do things very wrong.
gollark: *Probably* still better than before cities and stuff. Diseases spread anyway then, but less so, and we can actually treat them and have hygiene and sanitation now.
gollark: Still, I think on the whole we're better off disease-wise than the people of, say, 400 years ago.

References
    • Ekkehard Wachmann, Christoph Saure: Netzflügler, Schlamm- und Kamelhalsfliegen, Naturbuch-Verlag, Augsburg 1997
    • Wilfried Wichard: Schlammfliegen aus Baltischem Bernstein (Megaloptera, Sialidae). In Mitt. Geol.-Paläont. Inst. Univ. Hamburg. 80: S. 197-211, 2 Abb., 9. Taf., Hamburg 1997.


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