Code QT019999

Free-living, predacious Trichoptera common in clear cold-water streams but occurring also in slow-flowing waters and pools.

Hydrobiosid larvae are long and thin, pale creamy white to greenish in colour, without abdominal gills. Only the head, pronotum and parts of the terminal segments are sclerotised. The fore femora are somewhat enlarged and in some genera end in a fixed spur which in conjunction with the tibia + tarsus forms a grasping organ. The body is smooth with a few bristlelike setae. Abdominal tergum 9 has a sclerotised shield with a few long setae. The abdominal prolegs have the apical segment fully sclerotised, 2-3 apical hairs and a simple claw.

The larva constructs a pupal chamber of stones.

Representatives of the Hydrobiosidae are found in South America (with one genus in North America) the Oriental and Palaearctic regions, and in Australia, where they are diverse with some 14 or 15 genera.

References:

Cartwright, D.I. and Dean, J.C. (1982) A key to the Victorian genera of free-living and retreat-making caddis-fly larvae (Insecta: Trichoptera). Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria 43 : 1-13.

Dean, J.C. (1991) Preliminary keys for identification of late instar larvae of Australian Hydropsychidae (Trichoptera). Taxonomy Workshop, Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre, Victoria, Australia.

Neboiss, A. (1991) Trichoptera. pp. 787-816. In: CSIRO, Insects of Australia . Volume 2. Melbourne University Press, Carlton, Victoria.

Neboiss, A. (1992) Illustrated keys to the families and genera of Australian Trichoptera. 1. Adults. Australian Society for Limnology Special Publication 9. pp. 87.