Insect Order Trichoptera (Caddisflies)

Three big Ephemerella subvaria mayfly nymphs share a rock with some cased caddis larvae.

In this picture: Caddisfly Genus Glossosoma (Little Black Short-Horned Sedges) and Mayfly Species Ephemerella subvaria (Hendrickson).

These are glossosomatids, Jason. They are probably Glossosoma nigrior, though it is possible that we are looking at mixed species. The ones to the right with their aggregate of similar sized grains are classic Glossosoma, while the ones to the left with the large anchor pebbles could possibly be Agapetus. Regardless, they're all commonly referred to as saddle case makers.

In this picture: Caddisfly Family Glossosomatidae (Little Black Caddisfly).

The top of this stump is covered with mayfly and caddisfly life.

In this picture: Insect Order Ephemeroptera (Mayflies) and Insect Order Trichoptera (Caddisflies).

The strange tubes all over this rock house tiny midge larvae.

In this picture: True Fly Family Chironomidae (Midges), Insect Order Ephemeroptera (Mayflies), and Insect Order Trichoptera (Caddisflies).

This Brachycentrus "Apple Caddis" struggled more than its kin in escaping its pupal skin, enabling me to take an underwater picture of it from directly below. This is sort of a trout's eye view, but I used the flash for the picture so the transparent shuck (

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Here's an underwater view of the pupal shucks of several already-emerged Brachycentrus numerosus caddisflies.

Shuck: The shed exoskeleton left over when an insect molts into its next stage or instar. Most often it describes the last nymphal or pupal skin exited during emergence into a winged adult.) appears far brighter than it really is.

In this picture: Caddisfly Species Brachycentrus appalachia (Apple Caddis).

There's a stonefly nymph in the bottom right corner of this picture, but what's really interesting is those white blotches. They're pretty common in my Wisconsin home river river, stuck flat onto the rocks--lots of rocks have a speckled look as a result. They are microcaddis cases, made by larvae of the caddisfly family Hydroptilidae. These are made by larvae of the subfamily Leucotrichiinae, most likely the genus Leucotrichia. They spin little flat oval cases of silk tight and immobile against the rocks.

In this picture: Caddisfly Species Leucotrichia pictipes (Ring Horn Microcaddis).

Several Baetid mayfly nymphs cling to this rock. There are also some clumps of small stones which hold strong caddisfly larvae.

In this picture: Insect Order Trichoptera (Caddisflies) and Mayfly Family Baetidae (Blue-Winged Olives).

Several cased caddis larvae cling to the twigs of a fallen tree limb in a clear trout stream's strong current.

In this picture: Insect Order Trichoptera (Caddisflies).