Family HELICOPSYCHIDAE

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Introduction

Small (wing span 10–16 mm), greyish-brown to black caddis-flies with rather slender wings. The integument of at least some abdominal sternites has reticulate pattern.

The family, known from all faunal regions, contains six genera and approximately 100 species; one genus, with 14 species, is known from Australia. In a recent paper, Johanson (1995) revised the genus and provided a key to all Australian species. St Clair (1997) provided a guide to late instar larvae.

Diagnosis

Adult: ocelli absent. Maxillary palpi 2 or 3-segmented in males, 5-segmented in females. Head with large, ovoid, posterior setal warts. Mesoscutum with a pair of small, rounded setal warts, and a rounded or transverse wart on scutellum. Wings narrow, wing coupling by row of hamuli; discoidal cell closed in forewing, open in hindwing.

Tibial spurs 2: 2: 4 (Australian species).

Larva: with prominent labrum, well developed pronotal and mesonotal sclerites; metanotal sclerites small. Abdominal gills short and reduced in number; anal claw with a comb-like row of teeth. Larvae construct helical, snail shell-like, cases of sand grains. The habitat is lotic and lentic waters from cool, fast flowing streams to warm littoral zones of lakes. The larvae mainly feed on algae and fine organic material.

General References

Johanson, K.A. 1995. Eight new species and revised key to Australian Helicopsyche (Trichoptera: Helicopsychidae). Entomologica Scandinavica 26: 241-272

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]

St Clair, R.M. 1997. Preliminary Guide to the Identification of Late Instar Larvae of Australian Philorheithridae, Calamoceratidae and Helicopsychidae (Insecta: Trichoptera). Co-operative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology, Identification Guide No. 12.

Wiggins, G.B. 1982. Trichoptera. pp. 599-612 in Parker, S.P. (ed.). Synopsis and Classification of Living Organisms. New York : McGraw-Hill Vol. 2.

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