Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Register
·
Log In
Home
Guide
ID Request
Recent
Frass
Forums
Donate
Help
Clickable Guide
Calendar
Upcoming Events
Registration
is open for the
2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho
July 24-27
Moth submissions
from
National Moth Week 2023
Photos of
insects
and
people
from the
2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico
, July 20-24
Photos of
insects
and
people
from the
Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana
, April 28-May 2
Photos of
insects
and
people
from the
2019 gathering in Louisiana
, July 25-27
Photos of
insects
and
people
from the
2018 gathering in Virginia
, July 27-29
Previous events
Taxonomy
Browse
Info
Images
Links
Books
Data
Home
» Guide »
Arthropods (Arthropoda)
»
Hexapods (Hexapoda)
»
Insects (Insecta)
»
Caddisflies (Trichoptera)
»
Integripalpia
»
Plenitentoria
»
Limnephiloidea
»
Northern Caddisflies (Limnephilidae)
»
Limnephilinae
»
Limnephilini
»
Limnephilus
Photo#394979
Copyright © 2010
Charley Eiseman
Limnephilus? -
Limnephilus
Wilbraham, Hampden County, Massachusetts, USA
May 4, 2010
Found in a vernal pool. Is all that coiled business in its abdomen normal, or some kind of parasitic worm?
Images of this individual:
tag all
tag
·
login
or
register
to post comments
Contributed by
Charley Eiseman
on 12 May, 2010 - 6:28pm
Last updated 25 April, 2013 - 11:40am
Moved
Moved from
Northern Caddisflies
.
…
Charley Eiseman
, 25 April, 2013 - 11:40am
login
or
register
to post comments
genus
I would move to
Limnephilus
based on resemblance to this:
which I keyed to genus in Merritt and Cummins, 1996
…
ophis
, 24 April, 2013 - 12:06pm
login
or
register
to post comments
Moved
Moved from
Caddisflies
. I'm assuming we can at least call it a limnephilid...
…
Charley Eiseman
, 14 May, 2010 - 8:58am
login
or
register
to post comments
I suspect so
I suspect so but this is an example where te always useful length measurement could be of great use in the determination. Mature larval cases of the lepidostomatids seldom exceed 10.2 mm in length while many limnephilid taxa have mature larval cases which are much larger. There also appears to be a dorsal spacing hump in the one pic and the sclerites and coloration look right for a Limnephilid. I think it is a Limnephilid (and probably Limnephilus) but I cannot be sure from the photos/info provided.
…
Dave Ruiter
, 14 May, 2010 - 10:55am
login
or
register
to post comments
Case
I didn't measure it, but the case was certainly well over 10 mm -- I'd say around 2 cm.
What are the key features you need to see to ID a larva? Will macro shots of the larva out of its case do the job, or does it require dissection/microscope?
…
Charley Eiseman
, 14 May, 2010 - 11:04am
login
or
register
to post comments
long list
I am pretty sure I do not want to try and make a list of all the characters needed to determine caddis larvae to genus, let alone to species. Even if I thought I knew what the characters were. It would be a very long list. And the photos are going to require some type of magnification, often at least to 30-50x life size. And for some structures, e.g. various sclerites, several perspectives may be necessary. It shouldn't require dissection, but often the easiest way to photograph a critical part would be to remove the head or legs, etc.
General photos that are most useful are a dorsal and lateral of the larvae in and out of the case and then any views of the head and thorax as well as the last two/three segments. A lateral closeup of the head, legs and anal legs is also most useful. With good resolution it is probable one could see most of the characters necessary to get to genus for most specimens with those photos. If you don't keep the specimen you probably can't get these photos.
…
Dave Ruiter
, 14 May, 2010 - 1:24pm
login
or
register
to post comments
interesting
I don't remember see that head/thorax color combination - can't tell which genus from the photos. That "coiled business" is the gills. Limnephilus (and alot of other genera) has no more than three filaments per cluster
…
Dave Ruiter
, 13 May, 2010 - 7:18pm
login
or
register
to post comments
Comment viewing options
Flat list - collapsed
Flat list - expanded
Threaded list - collapsed
Threaded list - expanded
Date - newest first
Date - oldest first
10 comments per page
30 comments per page
50 comments per page
70 comments per page
90 comments per page
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.