SREL Reprint #2492

Polymorphic larval retreats in the net-spinning caddishfly Macrostemum carolina (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae): form and putative function

Gordon R. Plague and J. Vaun McArthur

Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, PO Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802

Summary: In the Savannah River, larval Macrostemum carolina caddisflies make three different retreats, each with a distinct water entrance hole: (i) flush with the top of the retreat, (ii) at the end of a silken tube, and (iii) with a ~180° silken backstop. Herein we describe the "backstop" retreat (the others have been described previously), and discuss possible selective advantages of each retreat phenotype.

SREL Reprint #2492

Plague, G. R., and J. V. McArthur. 2000. Polymorphic larval retreats in the net-spinning caddishfly Macrostemum carolina (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae): form and putative function. Florida Entomologist 83:497-500.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).