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Trichoptera of Gunnison County, Colorado

Introduction to the caddisfly family Hydropsychidae

Common Net Spinner Caddis, Cinammon Caddis, Light wing medium brown body caddis #16-20, Light wing tan body caddis #18-20, Medium wing tan body caddis #16-22, Spotted Sedge

Curtis, 1835

Updated Twosday 2/22/2022 :-)

This Hydropsychidae retreat was under a rock in a tributary of the East River on 18 July 2007. Notice the net they use for gathering food. The top of the Hydropsychidae's head is visible right of the net. Notice the abdomen of a Cinygmula larvae under the upper right of the retreat.

Provisional Species List

Description

Larvae are large in their last instars. They may be the biggest animals in your pan of bugs from a kick sample. Hydropsychid larvae live under rocks in most streams and rivers in Gunnison County, building a retreat (or house) and spinning a net to capture detritus and small invertebrates.
Adults are diverse in size, shape and taxonomic characteristics. Both sexes have a 5-segmented maxillary palp. All genera lack scutal warts, ocelli and preapical spurs on their front tibia (Ross, 1944).

Life History

Adults females lay eggs underwater in strings attached to submerged rocks or other objects. The eggs are in a cement-like matrix (Ross, 1944)

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Photos and description from The Chironomid Research Group at The University of Minnesota

References

Allan,JD 1987 Macroinvertebrate drift in a Rocky Mountain stream. Hydrobiologia 144, 261-268.
     Working in Cement Creek, Allan looked at aquatic insects drifting in the water column for 24 hour time periods during the summers of 1976 and 1977. On page 263, he briefly says "Trichoptera (mostly several species of Rhyacophila, but occasional Hydropsychidae and Brachycentrus americanus Banks) always exhibited very low drift densities."

Alstad,DN 1980 Comparative biology of the common Utah Hydropsychidae (Trichoptera). American Midland Naturalist 103, 167-174.

Balistrieri,LS; Mebane,CA and Schmidt,TS 2020 Time-dependent accumulation of Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, and Zn in mayfly and caddisfly larvae in experimental streams: Metal sensitivity, uptake pathways, and mixture toxicity. Science of the Total Environment, 732. html
     Abstract: "Conceptual and quantitative models were developed to assess time-dependent processes in four sequential experimental stream studies that determined abundances of natural communities of mayfly and caddisfly larvae dosed with single metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Zn) or multiple metals (Cd + Zn, Co + Cu, Cu + Ni, Cu + Zn, Ni + Zn, Cd + Cu + Zn, Co + Cu + Ni, Cu + Ni + Zn). Metal mixtures contained environmentally relevant metal ratios found in mine drainage. Free metal ion concentrations, accumulation of metals by periphyton, and metal uptake by four families of aquatic insect larvae were either measured (Brachycentridae) or predicted (Ephemerellidae, Heptageniidae, Hydropsychidae) using equilibrium and biodynamic models. Toxicity functions, which included metal accumulations by larvae and metal potencies, were linked to abundances of the insect families. Model results indicated that mayflies accumulated more metal than caddisflies and the relative importance of metal uptake by larvae via dissolved or dietary pathways highly depended on metal uptake rate constants for each insect family and concentrations of metals in food and water. For solution compositions in the experimental streams, accumulations of Cd, Cu, and Zn in larvae occurred primarily through dietary uptake, whereas uptake of dissolved metal was more important for Co and Ni accumulations. Cd, Cu, and Ni were major contributors to toxicity in metal mixtures and for metal ratios examined. Our conceptual approach and quantitative results should aid in designing laboratory experiments and field studies that evaluate metal uptake pathways and metal mixture toxicity to aquatic biota."

Banks,N 1905 Descriptions of new neuropteroid insects. Transactions of American Entomological Society 32, 1-20.
     Has descriptions of several of the local Hydropsychidae species.

Canton,SP and Ward,JV 1981 The aquatic insects, with emphasis on Trichoptera, of a Colorado stream affected by coal strip-mine drainage. Southwestern Naturalist 25(4) 453-460.
     They studied Trout Creek where it runs through the Edna Coal Mine in northwestern Colorado. The mine spoils were 30 meters from the edge of the creek (approximately a 100 foot buffer zone). They found the aquatic insect density (numbers per square meter) and biomass (weight in grams per square meter) did not change above and below the mine. The Shannon-Weaver Diversity index also showed no difference between sites. However the community structure (which species were present and proportions) did change. Since there were irrigation water and cattle influences at their downstream site, their results may reflect these additional water uses. They note the biggest visible change at this mine is the loss of willow and alder trees downstream of the mine. The caddisfly population changed the most between sites, shifting from a mix of families above the mine to dominance by Hydropsychidae and Glossosomatidae below the mine.
Quote from page 457: "The Hydropsychidae (Arctopsyche inermis, Hydropsyche cockerelli, and H. oslari) were unimportant at C2 (reference site), comprising only 3% of trichopteran numbers, while at C4 (mine affected), with increased abundance of Hydropsyche spp., they accounted for 16% of the density."


Clements,WH; Carlisle,DN; Lazorchak,JM; Johnson,PC 2000 Heavy metals structure benthic communities in Colorado mountain streams. Ecological Applications 10(2)626-638. Abstract

Clements,WH; Cherry,DS; Cairns,J 1988 Impact of heavy metals on insect communities in streams: a comparision of observational and experimental results. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 45 11, 2017-2025.
     Working in the Clinch River of Russell County, Virginia and outdoor experimental streams, they measured population responses of macroinvertebrates to natural conditions and 12 µg of copper and zinc in the artifical streams. They used 6 replicates of substrate-filled trays everywhere and counted all the animals (no subsampling). Both stream mesocosm experiments and Clinch river sites showed similar results. They found abundance or total numbers of aquatic insects declined at all high effluent sites associated with the Clinch River coal-fired power plant, recovering 3- 4 kilometers downstream. Low levels of copper and zinc reduced species richness (number of different taxa) and total numbers as well as caused a shift in the species composition of dominant taxa. Metal contamination caused macroinvertebrate populations to shift from control (clean) sites dominated by Mayflies and Tanytarsini Midges to polluted sites dominated by Hydropsychidae caddisflies and Orthocladiinae midges.

Coutant,CC 1982 Evidence for upstream dispersal of adult caddisflies (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) in the Colombia River.Aquatic Insects 4:61-66

Curtis,J 1835 British Entomology being Illustrations and Descriptions of the Genera of Insects found in Great Britain and Ireland Containing Coloured Figure from Nature of the Most Rare and Beautiful Species, and in Many Instances of the Plants Upon Which They are Found. Richard Taylor, London. vol. XII, 530-577.



Deutsch,WG 1985 Swimming modifications of adult female Hydropsychidae compared with other Trichoptera. Freshwater Invertebrate Biology, 4(1) 35-40.
     Abstract: "Mesothoracic legs of 10 of 12 species of adult female Hydropsychidae (not Parapsyche almota or P. elsis) are modified for swimming; at least four of the ten species are known to swim to stream substrates to oviposit. Modified tibiae and tarsi of females differed from those of males in being widened, concave, and often, with a fringe of longer hair on the posterior edge. Modified mesothoracic legs were also found on some adult female Glossosomatidae, Polycentropodidae, and Psychomyiidae. Differences in swimming modifications found among hydropsychids and glossosomatids suggest a diversity of ovipositing behavior within these families."

Dodds,GS and Hisaw,FL 1925 Ecological studies on aquatic insects. IV. Altitudinal range and zonation of mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies in the Colorado Rockies. Ecology 6(4)380-390. Abstract PDF

Elliot,AG; Hubert,WA; Anderson,SH 1997 Habitat associations and effects of urbanization on macroinvertebrates of a small, high-plains stream. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 12 1, 61-73.

Fairchild,MP and Holomuzki,JR 2005 Multiple predator effects on microdistributions, survival, and drift of stream hydropsychid Caddisflies. J. NABS 24: 101-112.

Ge,X; Zang,H; Ye,X; Peng,L; Wang,B; Lian,G and Sun,C 2022 Comparative mitogenomic analyses of Hydropsychidae revealing the novel rearrangement of protein-coding gene and tRNA (Trichoptera: Annulipalpia). Insects, 13(9), p.759. PDF
     Abstract: " Gene rearrangement of the mitochondrial genome of insects, especially the rearrangement of protein-coding genes, has long been a hot topic for entomologists. Although mitochondrial gene rearrangement is common within Annulipalpia, protein-coding gene rearrangement is relatively rare. As the largest family in Annulipalpia, the available mitogenomes from Hydropsychidae Curtis, 1835 are scarce, and thus restrict our interpretation of the mitogenome characteristic. In this study, we obtained 19 novel mitogenomes of Hydropsychidae, of which the mitogenomes of the genus Arctopsyche are published for the first time. Coupled with published hydropsychid mitogenome, we analyzed the nucleotide composition evolutionary rates and gene rearrangements of the mitogenomes among subfamilies. As a result, we found two novel gene rearrangement patterns within Hydropsychidae, including rearrangement of protein-coding genes. Meanwhile, our results consider that the protein-coding gene arrangement of Potamyia can be interpreted by the tandem duplication/random loss (TDRL) model. In addition, the phylogenetic relationships within Hydropsychidae constructed by two strategies (Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood) strongly support the monophyly of Arctopscychinae, Diplectroninae, Hydropsychinae, and Macronematinae. Our study provides new insights into the mechanisms and patterns of mitogenome rearrangements in Hydropsychidae."

Gray,LJ and Ward,JV 1979 Food habits of stream benthos at sites of differing food availability. American Midland Naturalist 102 1, 157-167. PDF

Holzenthal,RW; Blahnik,RJ; Prather,AL and Kjer,KM 2007 Order Trichoptera Kirby, 1813 (Insecta), Caddisflies. PDF
     "Hydropsychidae: Hydropsychidae, with about 1,500 described species, is the 3rd largest family in Trichoptera and the most diverse of the net-spinning annulipalpians. It was established by Curtis (1835) and, like most of the families described early in the history of the order, its composition has changed substantially over the years, achieving its modern definition with the work of Ulmer (1907b). Five subfamilies are currently recognized: Arctopsychinae, Macronematinae, Hydropsychinae, Diplectroninae, and Smicrideinae. The monophyly and phylogenetic relationships among these subfamilies has been the subject of recent studies (Geraci et al. 2005, Schefter 1996, 2005), but a stable generic classification has yet to be achieved. Arctopsychinae, often recognized as a separate family (e.g., Fischer 1963, Schmid 1968), is widespread in the Holarctic and Oriental regions. Three genera are recognized, with Arctopsyche McLachlan and Parapyche Betten the largest, each with about 2 dozen species, and Maesaipsyche Malicky and Chantaramongkol the smallest, with 2 Southeast Asian species. Macronematinae, with 17 genera, is found in all biogeographical regions. The largest genera include Leptonema Guerin-Meneville with more than 125 species, largely in the Neotropics, but with a significant fauna in Africa and Madagascar and some extending into the southwestern USA, and the cosmopolitan Macrostemum Kolenati, with about 100 species. Other genera, with about 20-30 species each, include Macronema Pictet (Neotropical), Amphipsyche McLachlan (Afrotropical, Oriental, Palearctic), and Polymorphanisus Walker (Afrotropical, Oriental). The other genera each contain 10 or fewer species and include: Aethaloptera Brauer (India, Africa, Russian far east), Baliomorpha Neboiss (Australasian), Blepharopus Kolenati (Neotropical), Centromacronema Ulmer (Neotropical), Leptopsyche McLachlan (Australasian), Oestropsyche Brauer (Sri Lanka), Plectromacronema Ulmer (Neotropical), Protomacronema Ulmer (Afrotropical), Pseudoleptonema Mosely (Oriental), Pseudomacronema Ulmer (Neotropical), Synoestropsis Ulmer (Neotropical), and Trichomacronema Schmid (Oriental). Hydropsychinae currently contains 19 genera from all biogeographic regions, although it barely reaches the northern Neotropical region, and is absent from South America, where it is replaced by species of Smicrideinae and Macronematinae. The largest genera include Hydropsyche Pictet (ca. 275 species), Ceratopsche Ross and Unzicker, often considered a subgenus of Hydropsyche (ca. 100 species), and Cheumatopsyche Wallengren (ca. 260 species). Other, medium-sized genera (10-50 species) include Potamyia Banks (mostly eastern Palearctic and Oriental, but with 1 Nearctic species), Hydromanicus Brauer (Afrotopical, Oriental), and Calosopsyche Ross and Unzicker (Central America, Greater Antilles). The other genera contain less than 10 species each and include: Abacaria Mosely, Aoteapsyche McFarlane, Austropsyche Banks, Caledopsyche Kimmins, and Orthospsyche McFarlane (Australasian), Herbertorossia Ulmer (Australasian, Oriental), Hydatomanicus Ulmer (Oriental), Hydatopsyche Ulmer and Hydronema Martynov (Oriental, Palearctic), Symphitopsyche Ulmer (Afrotopical), Mexipsyche Ross and Unzicker and Plectropsyche Ross (Neotropical), and Streptopsyche Ross and Unzicker (Greater Antilles). The subfamily Smicrideinae was relatively recently established by Schefter (1996). The species had been previously placed in Hydropsychinae. Smicrideinae contains only 3 genera: Smicridea McLachlan, with 2 large subgenera, Smicridea and Rhyacophylax Müller (175 species total, mostly Neotropical in distribution, but extending into the southwestern United States), Smicrophylax Neboiss (5 Australasian species), and Asmicridea Mosely (2 Australasian species). Diplectroninae is a small subfamily with most of its diversity in a single genus, Diplectrona (ca. 120 species from all biogeographic regions, but concentrated in the Oriental and Australasian regions and absent from South America). Schefter (1996) provided evidence that neither the genus nor the subfamily may be monophyletic. Other genera included in Diplectroninae, none with more than a dozen species, include Homoplectra Ross (North America), Oropsyche Ross (eastern North America), Sciadorus Barnard (South Africa), and Diemeniluma Neboiss (Tasmania). In addition to the generic phylogenetic studies listed above, Mey (1996, 1999c, 2003) has provided important phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses of southeast Asian Hydropsyche. The nets of hydropsychids are typically attached to rocks in flowing waters and are used to capture detritus or microorganisms from the stream, but some species, particularly those in the subfamily Arctopsychinae capture and consume live prey. Net structure and function varies considerably. In the genus Macrostemum, a subdivided subterranean structure is constructed of rocks to function like a siphon, drawing the current over a specially constructed net, which is tended by the larva. Larvae of hydropsychids are often very abundant and are important in the nutrient dynamics of the rivers and streams they inhabit."

Kiffney,PM 1996 Main and interactive effects of invertebrate density, predation and metals on a Rocky Mountain stream macroinvertebrate community. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 53 7, 1595-1601. PDF

Metcalfe,AN; Kennedy,TA; Marks,JC; Smith,AD and Muehlbauer,JD 2020 Spatial population structure of a widespread aquatic insect in the Colorado River Basin: Evidence for a Hydropsyche oslari species complex. Freshwater Science, 39(2), pp.309-320. PDF

Nimmo,AP 1987 The adult Arctopsyche and Hydropsyche (Trichoptera) of Canada and adjacent United States. Questiones Entomologicae 23:1-189.

Nimmo,AP 1995 New species of Hydropsychidae and Limnephilidae (Insecta, Trichoptera) from the far east of Russia, with description of a new genus of Limnephilidae (Limnephilini). Occasional Papers on Trichoptera Taxonomy 1, 1-15.

Peckarsky,BL 1986 Colonization of natural substrates by stream benthos. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 43, 700-709.

Ross,HH 1944 The Caddis Flies, or Trichoptera, of Illinois. Natural History Survey of Illinois 23 Los Angeles, CA. 326 pages.
     Contains keys to genera for adult Hydropsychidae.

Rutherford,JE and MacKay,RJ 1985 The vertical distribution of hydropsychid larvae and pupa (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) in stream substrates. Canadian Journal of Zoology 63:1306-1315.

Schefter,PW 2005 Re-evaluation of genera in the subfamily Hydropsychinae (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae). Aquatic Insects 27(2) 133 - 154. Abstract

Voelz,NJ; Poff,NL and Ward,JV 1994 Differential effects of a brief thermal disturbance on caddisflies (Trichoptera) in a regulated river. American Midland Naturalist 132 1, 173-182.

Voelz,NJ and Ward,JV 1996 Microdistributions, food resources and feeding habits of filter-feeding Trichoptera in the Upper Colorado River. Archiv fur Hydrobiologie 137 3, 325-348.

Warnick,SL and Bell,HL 1969 The acute toxicity of some heavy metals to different insects. Journal WPCF 41 2, 280-284.

Wiggins, GB 1996 Larvae of the North American Caddisfly Genera (Trichoptera). 2nd Edition. University of Toronto Press, 457 pages.
     A key to genera starts on page 128. Wiggins states that there are 145 species in 10 genera in North America.

Zuellig,RE; Kondratieff,BC and Rhodes,HA 2002 Benthos recovery after an episodic sediment release into a Colorado Rocky Mountain river. Western North American Naturalist 62 (1) 59-72.
     Abstract: "During late September 1996, approximately 7000 m3 of clay- to gravel-sized sediment was flushed from Halligan Reservoir, Larimer County, Colorado, into the North Fork Cache la Poudre River during dam inspections. Approximately 9.6 km of this river was partially or completely affected by this episodic sediment release. Pools up to 3.2 km downstream from the dam lost 50% of their volume. Hess samples taken from October 1996 to September 1997, 100 m downstream from the dam (site 1) and 3.2 km downstream (site 2), revealed effects of sediment on recovery patterns of benthic communities. A 2-way ANOVA was used to determine significant interactions using site and date as main factors. Pairwise differences were then compared using least squares means to determine significant dates within and between sites. Ten days after the sediment release, both density and taxa richness at site 1 (55 organisms per m2 , 5 taxa) were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than site 2 (1156 organisms per m2, 25 taxa). These differences remained until June when species richness and densities increased. Plecoptera and Trichoptera colonized from June to September after being eliminated at site 1 and reduced at site 2. No permanently flowing tributaries exist within the study area; therefore, passive downstream drift from such inputs apparently did not influence recovery. Increased densities of taxa such as Baetidae, Hydroptilidae, Hydropsychidae, Chironomidae, Simuliidae, and Oligochaeta occurred plausibly by rapid reproduction. Based on pre-event data, community function completely changed at site 2 from a scraper community to one dominated by collector-gatherers."

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Brown,WS 2005 Trichoptera (Caddisflies) of Gunnison County, Colorado, USA
www.gunnisoninsects.org