Spring Fishfly

This freshly molted adult Spring Fishfly is wearing a "helmet" of its own larval exuviae. The larvae of Fishfly are sometimes generally referred to as "hellgrammites" (the same term used for the larvae of their close relative, the dobsonfly.) They can live for many years in this larval stage, eventually leave the water to pupate under bark or inside rotting logs. After approximately 10 days pupating, the adults emerge to mate, and live at most another 7 days. There appears to be just one flight per year.