''Philopotamus montanus'', common name yellow spotted sedge, is a species of
caddisfly
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 ...
belonging to the family
Philopotamidae
Philopotamidae is a family of insects in the order Trichoptera, the caddisflies. They are known commonly as the finger-net caddisflies.
Subspecies
Subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
This species is native to Europe. It extends over whole Europe eastwards to Northwestern and Northern Russia.Fauna europaea The aquatic stages of ''Philopotamus montanus'' can be found mainly in small rivers in uplands, in brooks and rivulets and in stony streams, often with rapids, as this species prefers high current velocities.
Description
''Philopotamus montanus'' can reach a body length of about , with a
wingspan
The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...
of about . These medium sized caddisflies are usually light brown or yellowish colored, with many dark brown spots.
Biology
''Philopotamus montanus'' has one generation a year (
univoltine
Voltinism is a term used in biology to indicate the number of broods or generations of an organism in a year. The term is most often applied to insects, and is particularly in use in sericulture, where silkworm varieties vary in their voltinism.
...
). Larvae build long, tubular nets attached to rocks. They are filter-feeders, mainly feeding on small, particulate matter, fine particles and diatoms. Adults of these caddisflies are on the wing from February to October. Trichopteraireland /ref>
Bibliography
*Barnard, P. and Ross, E. (2012) The Adult Trichoptera (Caddisflies) of Britain and Ireland. RES Handbook Volume 1, Part 17.
*Botosaneanu L., Cianficconi F., Moretti G.P., 1986 - Autumnal aspects of the caddisfly fauna (Trichoptera) of Sicily, with description of a remarkable relict species. Mitteil. Entom. Gesell. Basel, 36: 145-154.
*Botosaneanu L., Schmid F., 1973 - Les Trichoptères du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Genève. Revue Suisse de Zoologie, 80(1): 221-256.
*Edington, J.M. and Hildrew, A.G. (1995) A Revised Key to the Caseless Caddis Larvae of the British Isles: with notes on their ecology. Freshwater Biological Association Special Publication No. 53.
*Graf, W., Murphy, J., Dahl, J., Zamora-Muñoz, C. and López-Rodríguez, M.J. (2008) Distribution and Ecological Preferences of European Freshwater Species. Volume 1: Trichoptera. Astrid Schmidt-Kloiber & Daniel Hering (eds). Pensoft, Sofia-Moscow.
*O’Connor, J.P. (2015) A Catalogue and Atlas of the Caddisflies (Trichoptera) of Ireland. Occasional Publication of the Irish Biogeographical Society, No. 11.