Code QT049999

Small to medium sized Trichoptera found mostly in clear, rapid streams where they build fixed silken tubes or sac-like nets. These become covered in aggregations of fine silt, and collapse on removal from the water, looking then like pieces of brown slime.

The larvae are pale yellowish with sclerotised parts of the head and pronotum orange, the posterior margin thickened and black. Thoracic sclerotisation may be confined to the prothorax or extent to all segments. There is no sclerotised area on abdominal segment 9. The labrum, which has a distinctive shape, like the brush of a vacuum cleaner, is used to sweep algae and other food particles off the web-like net.

Chimarra and Hydrobioscella , two of the dominant genera in Australia, are keyed to species (vouchers) by Cartwright (1991).

References:

Cartwright, D.I. (1991) Key to mature larvae of the families Ecnomidae, Philopotamidae and Polycentropodidae of Australia. Taxonomy Workshop, Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre, Victoria, Australia.

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., St Clair, R.M. and Cartwright, D.J. (1995) A key to late instar larvae of Australian Trichoptera families. In: Hawking, J.H. (ed.) Monitoring River Health initiative: Taxonomic Workshop Handbook. 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.