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*** Note: KnowYourInsects.org does its best to include correct identifications of insect photos. It’s always possible that we made a mistake, however, so if you see a misidentification, please contact us and we will correct it. Thanks!
Order Trichoptera: the caddisflies — Examples
Families represented:
Leptoceridae, the long-horned caddisflies
Black dancer caddisfly, male, Mystacides sepulchralis, family Leptoceridae.
□ The black dancer caddisfly has quite an angular silhouette, and it has two large palps, which are mouthparts, seen here at the sides of its head. It can hold its palps straightened out and forward, so they look like a second pair of fuzzy antennae. The male of the species, shown here, has red eyes.
Photographed by: Phillip V. Frederickson. Submitted by: Karen Russcher. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: northern Michigan. Date: 15 August, 2020.
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A long-horned caddisfly, family Leptoceridae.
□ Species of long-horned caddisflies have very long antennae, and overall, are quite small insects. All caddisflies have bodies covered in minute hairs, which are clearly visible in this excellent photo. Often the hairs are difficult to see without a magnifying glass (hand lens).
Photographed by: K J Westman. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Sri Lanka. Date: 3 October, 2018.
K J says, “I found this very small fellow on my desk. You will get an idea of the size when you see the letters on the paper it is sitting on.”
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Limnephilidae, the northern caddisflies
Dicosmoecus gilvipes (no specific common name), subfamily Dicosmoecinae, family Limnephilidae.
□ This dark wing veins are set off beautifully in this attractive Dicosmoecus gilvipes, which is one of the species of northern caddisfly. Anglers will often fish when caddisflies hatch. They sometimes call this species an October caddisfly, because they appear in the fall.
Photographed and identified to order by: Joyce Kay. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada. Date: 28 August, 2019.
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Dicosmoecus gilvipes (no specific common name), subfamily Dicosmoecinae, family Limnephilidae.
□ Dicosmoecus gilvipes is one of the northern caddisfly species. Females of this family release chemicals, called pheromones, which attract males for mating. As larvae, the caddisflies make tube-like homes for themselves. Young larvae make tubes mainly of bits of vegetation, but as they grow, they shift to tiny stones and gravel. For more information, click here.
Photographed by: Kay Cota. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location:
Southwest foothills of Mount Hood, east of Portland, Oregon, USA. Date: 4 October, 2021.
Kay says, “I”ve never seen these before. Last couple of days, they are on the house near the back porch light.”
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Stenophylax permistus (no specific common name), subfamily Limnephilinae, family Limnephilidae.
□ One of the northern caddisfly species, Stenophylax permistus is typically only seen in the spring and late summer/fall, at which times it breeds in water pools that dry up during the summer. It is rather large for a caddisfly, and when not in flight, measures up to 2.5 cm (1 inch) from the tip of its head to the back of the wings. It is often seen at night (as noted in the comment below) and frequently near lights.
Photographed and identified by: Jean-Louis Metzger. Great photo and ID, Jean-Louis! Location:
Oxford, UK. Date: late April, 2024.
Jean-Louis says, “At about 11:00 at night, my wife spotted on the garden passage wall a black creature which turned out to be a caddisfly specimen from the order Trichoptera!”
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A northern caddisfly, larva in casing, family Limnephilidae.
□ The larvae of the so-called northern caddisflies in the family family Lepidostomatidae make protective cases for themselves by gluing together bits of vegetation, tiny pebbles and sticks using silk that they produce. This one looks like it wrapped itself in a decomposing leaf. See the photographer’s story below.
Photographed by: Tori Thompson. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: northwestern Michigan. Date: 21 September, 2019.
Tori says, “My son and I were walking through the Betsie River in Michigan. I pulled up a river plant for my freshwater aquarium. We then sat on the dock and noticed this odd critter. We don’t know if it came from the river plant or if it was on the dock all along.” She adds, “We just love insects so much.”
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Many caddisfly larva make tube-like cases for themselves out of debris. A larva pokes out its head and legs, and drags the case around with it, or sometimes glues the case to something, such as a submerged rock or streamside terrestrial vegetation. It can then tuck inside the case whenever it feels threatened. |
A northern caddisfly, eggs, family Lepidostomatidae.
□ A female northern caddisfly has laid these gel-covered eggs on a leaf near a stream. Most caddisflies lay eggs their eggs on submerged vegetation, but some of the northern caddisflies lay their eggs in vegetation adjacent to or above water level. As these eggs begin hatching (seen at right), the larvae wriggle out and away from the gel and fall into the water, where they continue to grow.
Photographed by: Jon Derow. Identified by: Canadian Herpetological Society Facebook members. Location: Ontario, Canada. Date: 29 August, 2022.
Jon put out the question of the eggs’s identity on the Canadian Herpetological Society’s Facebook page, where a couple of members came through with the answer. Thanks to Jon for taking the initiative, and the herpers for their help!
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Unidentified caddisflies
Caddisfly.
□ Caddisflies are long and thin insects that have a fluttering, slow flight. Adults are often found near water.
Photographed by: Stephen Zaglaniczny. Identified by: Leslie Mertz. Location: Markey Township, on the shore of Houghton Lake, Michigan. Date: 9 July, 2017.
Leslie says, “These insects often visit the boat when we’re out on the lake fishing.”
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Caddisfly.
□ Caddisflies typically have long antennae, which they often hold straight forward as seen here. This leads some people to think the antennae are long jaws. A close look at the front legs and “shoulder area”in this photo reveals some of the hairs that cover the caddisfly’s body.
Photographed and identified by: Leslie Mertz. Location: Markey Township, on the shore of Houghton Lake, Michigan. Date: 8 July, 2017.
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Caddisfly.
□ When resting, caddisflies often hold their forelegs and middle legs out to the sides, but hold their hind legs close to the body and hidden beneath the wings, as seen above.
Photographed and identified by: Katherine Richards. Nicely done, Katherine!
Location: Hunterdon County, New Jersey, USA.
Date: 5 July, 2024.
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Unless noted otherwise, photographs on this website are the property of the photographers and may not be reused without written permission from the photographers. To obtain permission, request it here.
Photos at the top of this website are by: Leslie Mertz, Ph.D., LMERTZ@nasw.org.
Reproduction of material from any KnowYourInsects.org webpages without written permission is strictly prohibited.
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