Template:Neophylax
From WikiEducator
Neophylax
- Order
- Trichoptera
- Family
- Uenoidae
- Genus
- Neophylax
- Common name
- Fool's Caddis
- Tied fly
- Peeping Caddis
Neophylax are characterized by having a sclerotized pronotum and mesonotum. They build a case of coarse sand grains often with a pair of latteral pebbles or "ballast stones". The larvae are rather stout and the head is scrunched in between the limbs. The anal hooks are attached directly to the abdomen and they rarely come out of the case when preserved. On the ventral surface of the abdominal segments, one can see darkened ovals, known as the chloride epithelia. Like the Limnephilidae, they have a prosternal horn, though it can sometimes be small. Also, they have a dorsal hump and two lateral humps on the first abdominal segment- be careful! Often times, these features can be squished down or damaged in the sampling process. A larva removed from it's case is shown here.
The feature that distinguishes Uenoidae from Limnephilidae is the mesonotum: on either side of the midline, the anterior margin is notched.
Because our samples were taken in summer, we found large numbers of Neophylax pre-pupae. We anticipate that there will be fewer present in the streams in late September and many of those sampled will be at the pupal or adult stage. Samples taken in October would tend to have more empty cases.
