Spotted Hydropsyche Caddisfly vs Southern Rock Bristletail

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Spotted Hydropsyche Caddisfly Southern Rock Bristletail
Scientific Name Hydropsyche slossonae Lepismachilis y-signata
Order Trichoptera Archaeognatha
Family Hydropsychidae Machilidae
Size 10-14 mm 8-11 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Underground
Diet Detritivores Detritivores
Regions Eastern North America Mediterranean Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Spotted Hydropsyche Caddisfly

A net-spinning caddisfly with tan to brown mottled wings. Larvae build intricate silken nets between rocks to capture drifting food particles in stream currents.

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Did You Know?

The mesh size of their silk nets varies by species, allowing different species to partition food resources in the same stream.

Southern Rock Bristletail

A Mediterranean bristletail identified by a Y-shaped marking on its thorax. It lives under stones and in rock crevices.

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Did You Know?

The Y-shaped thoracic marking gives this species its distinctive name.