Helicopsychidae (snail-case caddisflies) are a family of
Trichoptera
The caddisflies, or order Trichoptera, are a group of insects with aquatic larvae and terrestrial adults. There are approximately 14,500 described species, most of which can be divided into the suborders Integripalpia and Annulipalpia on the b ...
.
The name refers to the helix shaped larval cases and they should not be confused with
Limnephilidae __NOTOC__
Limnephilidae is a family of caddisflies with about 100 genera. They belong to the main lineage of case-constructing caddisflies, the Integripalpia or tube-case caddisflies. The Limnephilidae is one of the most species-rich Trichoptera f ...
which sometimes inhabit the snail shells.
Their shells range from and are crafted from mineral grains.
Their typical habitat is in slow-flowing water in ditches.
Helicopsychidae larvae have a comb-like anal hook.
Helicopsychidae is divided into two extant genera,
''Rakiura'' and ''
Helicopsyche
''Helicopsyche'' is a genus of Trichoptera, the caddisflies. ''Helicopsyche'' contains more than 230 species and are represented on all major faunal regions with highest diversity in tropical and sub-tropical regions. The genus was first describe ...
'', and two fossil genera ''
Electrohelicopsyche'' and ''
Palaeohelicopsyche''.
The family contains more than 270 species and are present on all major faunal regions.
References
Integripalpia
{{Trichoptera-stub