Larval description of the Northern caddisfly, Limnephilus sackeni Banks, 1930 (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae)

Abstract

The larva of the limnephilid caddisfly Limnephilus sackeni Banks, 1930 is associated, described, diagnosed, and illustrated for the first time. The larvae of this species can be readily separated from other described Nearctic Limnephilus larvae according to head pigmentation and patterning. A brief discussion on possibly cryptic colouration and predator avoidance is provided.

Keywords:

• Caddisflies
• camouflage
• immature stages
• metamorphotype
• taxonomy

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the help of Elizabeth Etnier (Knoxville, TN) and Michael Etnier (Custer, WA) for utilising their knowledge of Saganaga Lake to locate and confirm coordinates of the various collection sites, and to describe larval habitat at these sites. The authors also wish to acknowledge Fred Weinmann (retired Regional Wetland Ecologist, US Environmental Protection Agency, Seattle, Region 10) for identifying the various plant species that were used to construct the larval cases. Julie Martinez (Minneapolis, MN) prepared the beautiful pen and watercolour larval illustrations of Limnephilus sackeni, for which the authors are very thankful. Patrick Ceas (St. Olaf College) took the habitat photograph and provided it to the authors. Three anonymous reviewers provided constructive feedback that served to greatly improve the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grant Project 1021805.