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Photo#175553
Caddisfly pupae - Brachycentrus

Caddisfly pupae - Brachycentrus
Sequim, south of Railroad Bridge Park on the Dungeness River, Clallam County, Washington, USA
April 1, 2008
Size: 12 mm
Found these caddisfly pupae on a large log a good 30 feet from the edge of the river. One had a hole in its side. I guess genus Brachycentrus from various pictorial sources.
More photos on my photo site.

Images of this individual: tag all
Caddisfly pupae - Brachycentrus Caddisfly pupae - Brachycentrus Caddisfly pupae - Brachycentrus

Brachycentridae (Trichoptera)
Brachycentrids are known as the humpless casemakers. Unlike the other case-bearing caddisflies, they have no projections (humps) on their first abdominal segment, so their bodies are round in cross section. Therefore, to get proper ventilation the case cannot also be round like other case-bearing caddis flies, hence the square. Looks like you picked up the pupae, based on the sealed front end.

 
Brachycentrus
These are the first images on BugGuide for this family, so I've made a new guide page for them. There are in fact genera in this family (Amiocentus, Micrasema, and Oligoplectrum) that make round, tapered cases. The other two genera that make square cases tend to have loose pieces of vegetation sticking out the sides, so they don't have such a neat appearance. (My source for this is: Wiggins, G.B. 1977. Larvae of the North American Caddisfly Genera. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, Toronto. 401 pp.)

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