''Hydropsyche tobiasi'', or Tobias' caddisfly, is an extinct species of caddisfly which lived on the

River Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , sourc ...

between

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

and

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

.SM Wells, RM Pyle & NM Collins: ''IUCN Invertebrate Red Data Book''. International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 1983.

History

It was last seen in 1938 and was described in 1977 by

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

Hans Malicky on the basis of material he found in earlier collections. Very little is known about the species and no

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e were ever found. The River Rhine has been a subject to urban and industrial pollution for several decades during the 20th century. This had led to the decline and disappearance of many caddisfly species on several riversides of the Rhine.

References

Trichoptera Extinct insects since 1500 Extinct animals of Europe Insects described in 1977 Endemic fauna of Germany {{Trichoptera-stub