Family STENOPSYCHIDAE

Stenopsychodes sp.

© Copyright P. Zborowski

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Introduction

Medium to moderately large caddis-flies (wing span 18–35 mm), often with a colourful black and golden wing pattern.

A total of three genera and 70 species are known from the Ethiopian, Palaearctic, Oriental and Australian Regions. The only genus in Australia is endemic. It includes nine species, and, although commonly found at Cape York Peninsula, it has not been recorded from New Guinea.

The genus Stenopsychodes was placed in the family Polycentropodidae by Ulmer (1916) and by Mosely & Kimmins (1953), but it was retained in the family Pyschomyiidae by Riek (1970). Ross (1967) and Schmid (1969) both regarded it as a member of the Stenopsychidae.

Diagnosis

Adult: ocelli absent (Australian species). Maxillary palpi 5-segmented in both sexes, the second segment has an apical brush of bristles and segment 5 is longer than all the other segments combined. Antennae rather robust, about as long as or slightly longer than forewing, basal segment short. Mesoscutum with a pair of rounded setal warts, separated by an anteriorly-produced mesal section of the scutellum; a single mesal wart on scutellum. Wing venation complete, regular and similar in both sexes; discoidal and median cells closed in both wings.

Tibial spurs 3: 4: 4.

Larva: the Australian species are unknown.

General References

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]

Riek, E.F. 1970. Trichoptera. pp. 741-764 in CSIRO (ed.). The Insects of Australia. A textbook for students and research workers. Carlton : Melbourne University Press 1029 pp.

Ross, H.H. 1967. The evolution and past dispersal of Trichoptera. Annual Review of Entomology 12: 169-206

Schmid, F. 1969. La famille des Stepnopsychides (Trichoptera). The Canadian Entomologist 101: 187-224 [Date published Feb. 1969]

Ulmer, G. 1916. Results of Dr E. Mjöberg's Swedish Scientific expeditions to Australia 1910–1913. Trichoptera. Arkiv för Zoologi 10: 1-23 [Date published 7 July 1916]

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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