Small Ballast Caddisfly vs Sachem Skipper

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Small Ballast Caddisfly Sachem Skipper
Scientific Name Silo pallipes Atalopedes campestris
Order Trichoptera Lepidoptera
Family Goeridae Hesperiidae
Size 7-10 mm 25-36 mm wingspan
Habitat Rivers & Streams Grasslands
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Europe Throughout the United States, more common in the south
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.

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Did You Know?

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

Sachem Skipper

A small tawny-orange skipper with a distinctive large dark patch on the male's forewing. Females are darker with more mottled patterns.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the most abundant skippers on American lawns, thriving in mowed Bermuda grass.