Protohermes sirindhornae: A new species of Dobsonfly from Thailand and Laos.

The Megaloptera, (Alderflies, Dobsonflies and Fishflies) are a small group (about 300 species) of Holometabolan (fully metamorphosing) Insects, thought to be one of the earliest branching members of the group. Although they are typically quite large, most species are poorly known, as they spend most of their life as aquatic larvae, with an adult stage that often emerges for less than a day. The Dobsonflies, Corydalinae, are probably the best known members of the group, as there are a large number of species in North America, where their larvae are often used as bait for angling. Male Dobsonflies have large, tusk-like mandibles, although these are for display only and the Insects are quite harmless.

In a paper published in the journal Tropical Natural History on 14 October 2025, Kanyakorn Piraonapicha of the Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden, Narin Chomphuphuang of the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at Khon Kaen University, Kanuengnit Wayo of the Futuristic Science Research Center at Walailak University, Yuezheng Tu of the  Department of Entomology at the China Agricultural University,  Fumio Hayashi of the Department of Biology at Tokyo Metropolitan University, and Xingyou Liu of the State Key Laboratory of Animal Biodiversity, Conservation, and Integrated Pest Management at the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, describe a new species of Dobsonfly from Thailand and Laos.

The new species is named Protohermes sirindhornae, in honour of Her  Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn in commemoration of her 70th birthday anniversary. The species is described from three male and one female specimens collected from a site in Bo  Kluea  District in Nan Province, Thailand, by Kanyakorn Piraonapicha in April 2021, and one male specimen collected in Ban Muang District in Xieng Khouang Province, Laos, by Japanese entomologist Hiroyuki Yoshitomi.

Protohermes sirindhornae, living specimens in dorsal view. (A) Male; (B) Female. Scale bars are 1 cm. Piraonapicha et al. (2025).

The male specimens of Protohermes sirindhornae range from 21.06 to 37.3 mm in length, with forewing lengths of 25.4 to 36.6  mm, while the female is 43.1 mm long with a forewing length of 44.7 mm. Both sexes have a yellowish brown and brown colouration. 

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