**Caddisfly Genus Dolophilodes (Medium Evening Sedges)**

Mayflies

Caddisflies

Stoneflies

Taxonomic Navigation -?-

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

» Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

» Class Insecta (Insects)

» Order Trichoptera (Caddisflies)

» Family Philopotamidae

» Genus Dolophilodes (Medium Evening Sedges)

Species in Dolophilodes
Dolophilodes aequalisMedium Evening Sedge	1	2
Dolophilodes distinctusTiny Black Gold Speckled-Winged Caddis	3	16
Dolophilodes novusamericanaMedium Evening Sedge	0	0
Dolophilodes pallidipesMedium Evening Sedge	0	0

6 species aren't included.

Common Name

Match	Common Name
	Medium Evening Sedges

Pictures Below ↓

Dolophilodes distinctus is the most interesting and important species in this genus, having a bizzarre life cycle. It is also the most abundant in the East and Midwest. The other species listed here are from the West.

Where & When

Preferred Waters: Small mountain streams

Larva & Pupa Biology

Environmental Tolerance: Requires cold water

Pictures of 5 Caddisfly Specimens in the Genus Dolophilodes:

Specimen Page:12

Male Dolophilodes distinctus (Tiny Black Gold Speckled-Winged Caddis) Caddisfly Adult

View 6 PicturesThis caddis species was dancing high over the stream, spaced a foot or two apart across most of its width, very much like Ephemera mayfly spinners but with more side-to-side motion mixed in. There were more than enough to get the trout interested, but I wasn't able to stick around until they fell on the water (if they did at all).

Collected May 28, 2007 from Mystery Creek #42 in Pennsylvania
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on June 4, 2007

Female Dolophilodes distinctus (Tiny Black Gold Speckled-Winged Caddis) Caddisfly Adult

View 6 PicturesThis is a really strange specimen. I would guess it's one of the dry caddis pupa that scoots across the surface of the water as a pupa rather than emerging right away. Its "wing pads (

The wing pads on this final instar Baetidae mayfly nymph are extremely dark.

Wing pad: A protrusion from the thorax of an insect nymph which holds the developing wings. Black wing pads usually indicate that the nymph is nearly ready to emerge into an adult.)" sure don't look right, though. Maybe they're deformed and that's why I was able to find this one as a pupa in the first place. It also looks like it might be a caddis adult missing its wings, but since I found three of them, that kind of rules out such an anomalous maiming.

I found this one and one other on a midstream rock. The previous day, I caught a similar creature kicking around on the water's surface.

This one died and shriveled a little bit before I could photograph it, but it's basically in its original shape.

Collected May 29, 2007 from Brodhead Creek in Pennsylvania
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on June 4, 2007

Dolophilodes distinctus (Tiny Black Gold Speckled-Winged Caddis) Caddisfly Larva

View 4 Pictures

Collected February 7, 2004 from unknown in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on January 25, 2006

Specimen Page:12

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Jargon Defined:

Pupa: Any insect which spends most of its juvenile lifetime as a larva first becomes a pupa for a time before emerging as a fully grown adult. Depending on the species, the pupal form can be very important for fly fishermen to imitate.

The wing pads on this final instar Baetidae mayfly nymph are extremely dark.

Wing pads: A protrusion from the thorax of an insect nymph which holds the developing wings. Black wing pads usually indicate that the nymph is nearly ready to emerge into an adult.

Useful References:

LaFontaine, Gary. 1981. Caddisflies. The Lyons Press.