Tube-Making Caddis vs Saddle-Case Caddisfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Tube-Making Caddis Saddle-Case Caddisfly
Scientific Name Psychomyia flavida Glossosoma conformis
Order Trichoptera Trichoptera
Family Psychomyiidae Glossosomatidae
Size 5-8 mm 6-9 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Rivers & Streams
Diet Gall Makers Omnivores
Regions North America North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Tube-Making Caddis

A small caddisfly whose larvae build silken tubes cemented to rock surfaces in rivers. The tubes create a network of galleries on submerged stones.

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Did You Know?

Entire rock surfaces can be covered in a patchwork of silken tubes built by dense colonies.

Saddle-Case Caddisfly

A small caddisfly whose larvae build distinctive saddle-shaped cases from tiny stones. When it pupates, it cuts the case free from the rock and seals itself inside.

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Did You Know?

Saddle-case caddisfly larvae graze algae so efficiently that they can create visible clean patches on otherwise algae-covered stream rocks.