The Hydroptilidae are a large family of

caddisflies 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 ...

(Trichoptera) with a worldwide distribution. They are commonly known as microcaddisflies or purse-case caddisflies, in reference to two characteristic traits of this family: Hydroptilidae are much smaller than other caddisflies, rarely exceeding in length. Their

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. ...

e do not build a protective case until the final

instar An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'', "form", "likeness") is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each moult (''ecdysis''), until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or ...

of their growth. At that time however, they build a typically Purse-shaped case, either portable or stuck to the substrate, in which the larva finishes growth and

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in thei ...

tes.

Systematics and taxonomy

Their systematic placement among the caddisflies is still disputed. They are traditionally placed in the suborder

Spicipalpia The Spicipalpia are a suborder of Trichoptera, the caddisflies. The four families included in this suborder all have the character of pointed maxillary palps in the adults. The larvae of the different families have varying lifestyles, from free-l ...

, which do not seem to be a natural monophyletic group, but rather an

evolutionary grade A grade is a taxon united by a level of morphological or physiological complexity. The term was coined by British biologist Julian Huxley, to contrast with clade, a strictly phylogenetic unit. Definition An evolutionary grade is a group of sp ...

of moderately advanced caddisflies. Some authors downrank the Spicipalpia to a superfamily of the more basal

Annulipalpia The Annulipalpia, also known as the "fixed-retreat makers", are a suborder of Trichoptera, the caddisflies.Glenn B. Wiggins, ''Larvae of the North American Caddisfly Genera (Trichoptera)'', 2nd. ed. (Toronto: University Press, 1996), p. 117 The na ...

and call them

Rhyacophiloidea :''"Rhyacophiloidea" may also be the name of the entire "Spicipalpia", when these are treated as a superfamily inside the Annulipalpia.'' The Rhyacophiloidea are a superfamily in the insect order Trichoptera The caddisflies, or order Trichopte ...

(which otherwise refers to a subfamily of suborder Spicipalpia), but recent studies generally rejected this view. More often, the Hydroptilidae are placed in a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

superfamily Hydroptiloidea, either in the Spicipalpia or – probably more appropriately considering the present state of caddisfly

phylogeny A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA.) is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological spe ...

– ''

incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertain ...

'' in the Trichoptera. It may be that the Glossosomatoidea are particularly closely related to the Hydroptilidae; together they might even be closer to the most advanced caddisflies (the tube case caddisflies, Integripalpia) than any other living caddisfly. But this view is almost as disputed as including the Spicipalpia in the Annulipalpia. In any case, were Glossosomatoidea and Hydroptiloidea to be merged into a single superfamily, the older name Hydroptiloidea would apply for the combined group. The peculiarly

apomorph In phylogenetics, an apomorphy (or derived trait) is a novel character or character state that has evolved from its ancestral form (or plesiomorphy). A synapomorphy is an apomorphy shared by two or more taxa and is therefore hypothesized to have ...

ic genera '' Palaeagapetus'' and '' Ptilocolepus'' have been separated as subfamily Ptilocolepinae, while all other genera form the Hydroptilinae family with its multiple

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...

s. It is far from certain that the Ptilocolepinae are the

living fossil A living fossil is an extant taxon that cosmetically resembles related species known only from the fossil record. To be considered a living fossil, the fossil species must be old relative to the time of origin of the extant clade. Living foss ...

s such an arrangement would imply them to be.

Genera

Around 70 genera with at least 1,700 species have been described from this family: ; Hydroptilinae Stephens, 1836 *'' Acanthotrichia'' Wells, 1982 *'' Acritoptila'' Wells, 1982 *'' Agraylea'' Curtis, 1834 *'' Allotrichia'' McLachlan, 1880 *'' Austratrichia'' Wells, 1982 *'' Cyclopsiella'' Kjaerandsen, 1997 *'' Dhatrichia'' Mosely, 1948 *'' Hellyethira'' Neboiss, 1977 *''

Hydroptila ''Hydroptila'' is a very large genus of microcaddisflies with a worldwide distribution. Species *'' Hydroptila abantica'' *'' Hydroptila abbotti'' *'' Hydroptila acadia'' *'' Hydroptila acinacis'' *'' Hydroptila acrodonta'' *'' Hydroptila acum ...

'' Dalman, 1819 *'' Hydroptilina'' Martynov, 1934 *'' Jabitrichia'' Wells, 1990 *'' Microptila'' Ris, 1897 *'' Missitrichia'' Wells, 1991 *'' Mulgravia'' Wells, 1982 *'' Oxyethira'' Eaton, 1873 *'' Paroxyethira'' Mosely, 1924 *'' Paucicalcaria'' Mathis & Bowles, 1989 *'' Tangatrichia'' Wells & Andersen, 1995 *'' Tricholeiochiton'' Kloet & Hincks, 1944 *'' Ugandatrichia'' Mosely, 1939 *'' Vietrichia'' Olah, 1989 *'' Wlitrichia'' Kjaerandsen, 1997 *'' Xuthotrichia'' Mosely, 1934 ;Leucotrichiinae Flint, 1970 *'' Abtrichia'' Mosely, 1939 *'' Acostatrichia'' Mosely, 1939 *'' Alisotrichia'' Flint, 1964 *'' Anchitrichia'' Flint, 1970 *'' Ascotrichia'' Flint, 1983 *'' Betrichia'' Mosely, 1939 *'' Celaenotrichia'' Mosely, 1934 *'' Cerasmatrichia'' Flint, Harris & Botosaneanu, 1994 *'' Ceratotrichia'' Flint, 1992 *'' Costatrichia'' Mosely, 1937 *'' Eutonella'' Mueller, 1921 *'' Leucotrichia'' Mosely, 1934 *'' Mejicanotrichia'' Harris & Holzenthal, 1997 *'' Peltopsyche'' Mueller, 1879 *'' Scelobotrichia'' Harris & Bueno-Soria, 1993 *'' Zumatrichia'' Mosely, 1937 ;Neotrichiinae Ross, 1956 *'' Kumanskiella'' Harris & Flint, 1992 *'' Mayatrichia'' Mosely, 1937 *'' Neotrichia'' Morton, 1905 *'' Taraxitrichia'' Flint & Harris, 1991 ;Ochrotrichiinae Marshall, 1979 *'' Angrisanoia'' Özdikmen, 2008 *'' Caledonotrichia'' Sykora, 1967 *'' Maydenoptila'' Neboiss, 1977 *'' Metrichia'' Ross, 1938 *'' Ochrotrichia'' Mosely, 1934 *'' Nothotrichia'' Flint, 1967 *'' Ragatrichia'' Oláh & Johanson, 2011 *'' Rhyacopsyche'' Mueller, 1879 ;Orthotrichiinae Nielsen, 1948 *'' Ithytrichia'' Eaton, 1873 *'' Orthotrichia'' Eaton, 1873 ;Stactobiinae Botosaneanu, 1956 *'' Bredinia'' Flint, 1968 *'' Byrsopteryx'' Flint, 1981 *'' Catoxyethira'' Ulmer, 1912 *'' Chrysotrichia'' Schmid, 1958 *'' Flintiella'' Angrisano, 1995 *'' Niuginitrichia'' Wells, 1990 *'' Orinocotrichia'' Harris, Flint & Holzenthal, 2002 *'' Parastactobia'' Schmid, 1958 *'' Plethus'' Hagen, 1887 *'' Scelotrichia'' Ulmer, 1951 *'' Stactobia'' McLachlan, 1880 *'' Stactobiella'' Martynov, 1924 *'' Tizatetrichia'' Harris, Flint & Holzenthal, 2002 ;''

'' *''† Burminoptila'' Botosaneanu, 1981 *'' Dibusa'' Ross, 1939 *'' Dicaminus'' Mueller, 1879 *''† Electrotrichia'' Ulmer, 1912 *'' Macrostactobia'' Schmid, 1958 *''† Novajerseya'' Botosaneanu, Johnson & P. R. Dillon, 1998 *'' Orphninotrichia'' Mosely, 1934

References

External links

Trichoptera World Checklist
{{Taxonbar, from=Q253573 Hydroptilidae, Trichoptera families