Introduction

Medium sized caddis-flies (wing span 20–28 mm), of slender build, brown with subdued mottled appearance and long, slender antennae.

The family contains three genera, restricted to Australia (1 genus, 2 species) and the Seychelles (2 genera, 2 species). In southern Australia, Atriplectides dubius Mosely is widely distributed in the SE coastal region and in Tasmania, but in SW Australia it is restricted to a small coastal area south of Perth; the second species was described from NE Queensland. Dean (2000) provided preliminary keys for identification of late instar larvae.

Diagnosis

Adults: ocelli absent. Maxillary palpi stout, 5-segmented and similar in both sexes. Antennae longer than forewing, basal segment short, bulbous. Pronotal setal warts transversely elongate; mesocutum with two longitudinal bands of setiferous punctures; scutellum with a single mesal wart. Forewings narrow, discoidal cell present, wing coupling with hamuli along the anterior margin of hindwing, all species volant.

Tibial spurs 2: 4: 4.

Larva: head narrow, elongate; ecdysial sutures not visible; antennae situated at the anterolateral margins. Pronotum very slender with two pairs of dorsal sclerites anteriorly and long membranous rectractile posterior portion; mesonotum wider than pronotum with two pairs of sclerites; metanotum with small median sclerite. Hindlegs long. Abdominal gills filiform; segment 1 with dorsal spacing hump, lateral humps reduced; segment 8 with a row of bifid spicules; claw of the anal proleg with a single accessory hook. The larval case is tubular (slightly curved) and constructed of sand grains, somewhat angular anteriorly. They are found in the bottom sediment of lakes and slow flowing rivers.

General References

Dean, J.C. 2000. Preliminary Keys for the Identification of Australian Caddisfly Larvae of the Families Antipodoeciidae, Atriplectididae, Limnephilidae and Plectrotarsidae. Identification Guide No. 31. Co-operative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology, Albury. 16 pp.

Neboiss, A. 1978. Atriplectididae, a new caddis-fly family (Trichoptera: Atriplectididae). pp. 67-73 in Crichton, M.I. (ed.). Proceedings 2nd International Symposium on Trichoptera, University of Reading, England 25–29 July, 1977. The Hague : W. Junk.

History of changes

• Atriplectides Mosely, M.E. 1936. A revision of the Triplectidinae, a subfamily of the Leptoceridae (Trichoptera). Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London 85: 91-129 [Date published Mar. 1936] [119].

  Type species:

   Atriplectides dubia Mosely, 1936 by original designation.

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Australian Endemic.

IBRA

NSW, Qld, SA, Tas, Vic, WA: Australian Alps (AA), Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Ben Lomond (BEL), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Desert Uplands (DEU), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Esperance Plains (ESP), Eyre Yorke Block (EYB), Flinders Lofty Block (FLB), Flinders (FLI), Gawler (GAW), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Jarrah Forest (JF), Kanmantoo (KAN), King (KIN), Mallee (MAL), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Naracoorte Coastal Plain (NCP), NSW North Coast (NNC), Sydney Basin (SB), South East Coastal Plain (SCP), South East Corner (SEC), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Tasmanian Central Highlands (TCH), Tasmanian Northern Midlands (TNM), Tasmanian Northern Slopes (TNS), Tasmanian South East (TSE), Tasmanian Southern Ranges (TSR), Tasmanian West (TWE), Victorian Midlands (VM), Victorian Volcanic Plain (VVP), Warren (WAR), Wet Tropics (WT), Yalgoo (YAL)

General References

Neboiss, A. 1999. A second species of Atriplectides Mosely from Australia (Trichoptera: Atriplectididae). Memoirs of Museum Victoria 57: 237-239

History of changes

• Atriplectides dubia Mosely, M.E. 1936. A revision of the Triplectidinae, a subfamily of the Leptoceridae (Trichoptera). Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London 85: 91-129 [Date published Mar. 1936] [120].

  Type data:

   Holotype BMNH ♂, Great Lake, Miena, TAS.
  Paratype(s) BMNH ♂ ♀.

Distribution

States

New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Australian Endemic.

IBRA

NSW, SA, Tas, Vic, WA: Australian Alps (AA), Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Ben Lomond (BEL), Esperance Plains (ESP), Eyre Yorke Block (EYB), Flinders Lofty Block (FLB), Flinders (FLI), Gawler (GAW), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Jarrah Forest (JF), Kanmantoo (KAN), King (KIN), Mallee (MAL), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Naracoorte Coastal Plain (NCP), NSW North Coast (NNC), Sydney Basin (SB), South East Coastal Plain (SCP), South East Corner (SEC), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Tasmanian Central Highlands (TCH), Tasmanian Northern Midlands (TNM), Tasmanian Northern Slopes (TNS), Tasmanian South East (TSE), Tasmanian Southern Ranges (TSR), Tasmanian West (TWE), Victorian Midlands (VM), Victorian Volcanic Plain (VVP), Warren (WAR), Yalgoo (YAL)

Ecological Descriptors

Larva: lentic freshwater, lotic freshwater, tube case maker.

Extra Ecological Information

Lakes and streams.

General References

Chessman, B.C. 1986. Dietary studies of aquatic insects from two Victorian rivers. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 37: 129-146 [Date published 9 May 1986]

Fulton, W. 1983. Macrobenthic fauna of Great Lake, Arthurs Lake and Lake Sorell, Tasmania. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 34: 775-785 [Date published 15 Nov. 1983]

Fulton, W. 1984. Observations on the seasonal abundance and life history of some benthic invertebrates from Great Lake and Arthur's Lake, Tasmania. The Australian Zoologist 21: 157-173

Mosely, M.E. & Kimmins, D.E. 1953. The Trichoptera (Caddis-flies) of Australia and New Zealand. London : British Museum (Natural History) 550 pp. [Date published 6 Feb. 1953]

Neboiss, A. 1977. A taxonomic and zoogeographic study of Tasmanian caddis-flies (Insecta: Trichoptera). Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria, Melbourne 38: 1-208 [Date published 4 Apr. 1977] (distribution)

Neboiss, A. 1978. Atriplectididae, a new caddis-fly family (Trichoptera: Atriplectididae). pp. 67-73 in Crichton, M.I. (ed.). Proceedings 2nd International Symposium on Trichoptera, University of Reading, England 25–29 July, 1977. The Hague : W. Junk. (larva, pupa)

History of changes

• Atriplectides ikmaleus Neboiss, A. 1999. A second species of Atriplectides Mosely from Australia (Trichoptera: Atriplectididae). Memoirs of Museum Victoria 57: 237-239 [237, figs 1-4].

  Type data:

   Holotype ANIC ♂ (genitalic prep. PT-2010, illustrated), N QLD, Upper Mulgrave River via Gordonvale (Wet Tropics Investigation area 5) [17°10'S 145°53'E].
  Paratype(s) NMV T17263 ♂ (genitalic prep.), N QLD, Yuccabine Creek, Kirrama State Forest (Wet Tropics Investigation area 9) [18°12'S 145°54'E].

Distribution

States

Queensland

Extra Distribution Information

Australian Endemic.

IBRA

Qld: Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Desert Uplands (DEU), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), NSW North Coast (NNC), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Wet Tropics (WT)

Ecological Descriptors

Adult: volant.

Larva: lotic freshwater, tube case maker.

History of changes