dobsonfly

9.9

A large soft-bodied insect whose male has very long thin jaws and larvae that live in streams used for bait

noun
/ˈdɑb.sənˌflaɪ/

Specialized

: dobson

Have you ever seen a dobsonfly in the wild?

Examples

Because the dobsonfly breeds in clean streams, its presence often indicates good water quality.
A dobsonfly can be quite large compared to other insects.
A male dobsonfly can be easily identified by its very long mandibles.
The dobsonfly is well known among anglers for its large, fierce-looking larvae.
The fisherman used a dobsonfly as bait to catch larger fish.
Dobsonfly larvae can be found in freshwater streams, where they live underwater.
The adult male dobsonfly has striking mandibles that make it easily recognizable.

Synonyms

dobson fly

vsdobsonfly

Specialized

9.9

Large insect with a soft body and long jaws whose young live in water and are used as fishing bait

is the identical main term used for that insect

Corydalus cornutus

vsdobsonfly

Specialized

9.9

A large North American insect whose young live in water and are used as fish bait

is the broader kind rather than one named regional species

dobson

vsdobsonfly

Specialized

9.9

A large soft insect whose young live in water and are used as fishing bait

focuses on adult morphology especially the male mandibles

Surface Forms

dobsonfly singular

dobsonflies plural

Morphology

dobsonfly = Dobson + fly (semi-transparent) = dobson + fly

The element 'fly' clearly indicates an insect, but 'Dobson' is a proper name that does not convey semantic information about the insect's properties, so the full meaning is only partly recoverable.

Etymology

Dobsonfly is a simple compound of the English name Dobson and the common word fly, and it was likely named after a person called Dobson who worked with insects. So 'Dobson's fly' is an easy way to remember that a dobsonfly is a large insect with long jaws whose young live in streams and are often used as fishing bait.