Arctic Caddisfly vs Green Sedge

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Arctic Caddisfly Green Sedge
Scientific Name Apatania zonella Rhyacophila dorsalis
Order Trichoptera Trichoptera
Family Apataniidae Rhyacophilidae
Size 6-9 mm 10-14 mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Rivers & Streams
Diet Omnivores Predators
Regions Arctic Scandinavia, Iceland, Greenland, Svalbard, Arctic Canada Europe, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Arctic Caddisfly

A small, hairy-winged caddisfly with dark brown wings held tent-like over the body. Larvae build portable cases from sand grains and small stones. It is one of the most northerly distributed caddisflies in the world.

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Did You Know?

Some Arctic populations of this caddisfly reproduce by parthenogenesis, with females producing offspring without mating.

Green Sedge

A free-living caddisfly larva that does not build a case, instead roaming the streambed as an active predator. Adults have greenish wings.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most caddisflies, green sedge larvae are caseless predators that hunt like underwater wolves among the stream cobbles.