Small Ballast Caddisfly vs October Caddis

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Small Ballast Caddisfly October Caddis
Scientific Name Silo pallipes Dicosmoecus gilvipes
Order Trichoptera Trichoptera
Family Goeridae Limnephilidae
Size 7-10 mm 20-28 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Rivers & Streams
Diet Omnivores Herbivores
Regions Europe North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Small Ballast Caddisfly

A small caddisfly that cements large pebbles to its mineral case for ballast in fast water. Found exclusively in clean calcareous streams.

💡

Did You Know?

Larvae select ballast stones of remarkably uniform size relative to their body mass.

October Caddis

A large orange-bodied caddisfly that hatches in autumn on western North American rivers. It is one of the most important late-season food sources for steelhead and salmon.

💡

Did You Know?

October caddis larvae build massive cases from pebbles and can be so abundant that they visibly alter the streambed substrate.