Caddisfly Genus Hydropsyche (Spotted Sedges)

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Taxonomic Navigation -?-

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

» Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

» Class Insecta (Insects)

» Order Trichoptera (Caddisflies)

» Family Hydropsychidae

» Genus Hydropsyche (Spotted Sedges)

Species in Hydropsyche
Hydropsyche aenigmaSpotted Sedge	1	18
Hydropsyche alternansSpotted Sedge	0	0
Hydropsyche betteniSpotted Sedge	0	0
Hydropsyche bidensSpotted Sedge	0	0
Hydropsyche bifidaSpotted Sedge	0	0
Hydropsyche brontaSpotted Sedge	0	0
Hydropsyche californicaSpotted Sedge	1	5
Hydropsyche cockerelliSpotted Sedge	0	0
Hydropsyche occidentalisSpotted Sedge	0	0
Hydropsyche oslariSpotted Sedge	0	0
Hydropsyche simulansSpotted Sedge	0	0
Hydropsyche slossonaeSpotted Sedge	0	0
Hydropsyche sparnaSpotted Sedge	0	0
Hydropsyche vexaSpotted Sedge	0	0

50 species

(Hydropsyche Hydropsyche aenigma, Hydropsyche aerata, Hydropsyche alabama, Hydropsyche alternans, Hydropsyche alvata, Hydropsyche arinale, Hydropsyche auricolor, Hydropsyche bassi, Hydropsyche bidentata, Hydropsyche bifida, Hydropsyche bronta, Hydropsyche brunneipennis, Hydropsyche carolina, Hydropsyche catawba, Hydropsyche cockerelli, Hydropsyche confusus, Hydropsyche cuanis, Hydropsyche decalda, Hydropsyche delrio, Hydropsyche demora, Hydropsyche depravata, Hydropsyche dicantha, Hydropsyche elissoma, Hydropsyche fattigi, Hydropsyche franclemonti, Hydropsyche frisoni, Hydropsyche hageni, Hydropsyche hoffmani, Hydropsyche impula, Hydropsyche incommoda, Hydropsyche leonardi, Hydropsyche marqueti, Hydropsyche mississippiensis, Hydropsyche morosa, Hydropsyche morosa, Hydropsyche opthalmica, Hydropsyche orris, Hydropsyche patera, Hydropsyche phalerata, Hydropsyche philo, Hydropsyche placoda, Hydropsyche potomacensis, Hydropsyche reciprocus, Hydropsyche reiseni, Hydropsyche rossi, Hydropsyche rotosa, Hydropsyche scalaris, Hydropsyche valanis, Hydropsyche venularis, Hydropsyche winema)

aren't included.

Common Name

Match	Common Name
	Spotted Sedges

This is page 2 of specimens of Hydropsyche. Visit the main Hydropsyche page for:

• The behavior and habitat of Hydropsyche.

Pictures of 11 Caddisfly Specimens in the Genus Hydropsyche:

Specimen Page:12

Hydropsyche californica (Spotted Sedge) Caddisfly Larva View 5 PicturesSize - 14 mm

Condition - preserved

Habitat - cobble bottom, moderate flow run, at a depth of approx. 1 1/2 feet.

Key Characters - pair of large prosternal sclerites (Sclerite: A hard plate of chitinous material, such as those that form the exoskeletons of arthropods, uninterrupted by cracks or sutures.)


This is a very common taxon at this location. I collected using a kick net. In life, it is bright olive green ventrally, shading to a dull olive at its dorsal (Dorsal: Top.) abdominal surfaces. In the hand, the legs, thoraxic regions, and head appear medium chocolate brown. The stark contrast of the thoraxic plate's dark edges and light legs are effects of preserving. The plumouse anal hooks were duck down gray, not the color of the gills as appears in the preserved specimen.

The Lower Yuba River is a good habitat for this species, being a larger river with an open canopy. The Feather River just to the north of the Yuba system also finds H. californica in abundance. The other common Hydropsyche species in the area, Hydropsyche occidentalis, seems to prefer smaller, shaded streams.

Entoman

Collected March 9, 2011 from the Lower Yuba River in California
Added to Troutnut.com by Entoman on November 2, 2011

Hydropsyche (Spotted Sedges) Caddisfly Larva View 1 PicturesThis genus can get incredibly abundant especially below dams.This specimen shows the two sclerotized bars needed to identify it to genus. These usually curl up like this one when preserved.

Collected June 12, 2007 from the Flathead River-lower in Montana
Added to Troutnut.com by Bnewell on June 26, 2011

Hydropsyche (Spotted Sedges) Caddisfly Adult View 11 PicturesI haven't keyed this specimen out, but I am instead placing it in Hydropsyche based on the striking visual similarity to this one, which I did key out.

Collected June 30, 2019 from the Madison River in Montana
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on July 17, 2019

Male Hydropsyche occidentalis (Spotted Sedge) Caddisfly Adult View 6 PicturesDave Ruiter identified this specimen from pictures as Hydropsyche occidentalis.

Collected June 30, 2019 from the Madison River in Montana
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on July 17, 2019

Female Hydropsyche (Spotted Sedges) Caddisfly Adult View 7 PicturesThis species was really common along the Henry's Fork at the end of July. I photographed it along with a male that appears to be the same species, and another male of the same genus but a seemingly different, less common (on this day) species.

Collected July 31, 2020 from the Henry's Fork of the Snake River in Idaho
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on August 17, 2020

Male Hydropsyche (Spotted Sedges) Caddisfly Adult View 8 Pictures

Collected July 31, 2020 from the Henry's Fork of the Snake River in Idaho
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on August 16, 2020

Male Hydropsyche (Spotted Sedges) Caddisfly Adult View 5 PicturesThis was identified by Dave Ruiter as Hydropsyche californica or Hydropsyche occidentalis, but the characteristics were not clear enough to tell them apart.

Collected August 11, 2018 from the Henry's Fork of the Snake River in Idaho
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on June 12, 2019

Male Hydropsyche (Spotted Sedges) Caddisfly Adult View 8 PicturesThis species was really common along the Henry's Fork at the end of July. I photographed it along with a female that appears to be the same species, and another male of the same genus but a seemingly different, less common (on this day) species.

Collected July 31, 2020 from the Henry's Fork of the Snake River in Idaho
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on August 16, 2020

Specimen Page:12

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