Rhyacophilidae

Definition

A family of caddisflies (order Trichoptera) comprising free-living, predominantly predatory larvae that do not construct the portable cases characteristic of many other trichopteran groups. Members occupy running-water habitats, with the genus Rhyacophila alone containing nearly 500 species distributed across the Northern Hemisphere. The family belongs to the superfamily Rhyacophiloidea within the suborder Integripalpia.

Etymology

From the type genus Rhyacophila (Greek rhyax "stream, torrent" + philos "loving") + -idae (family suffix)

Example

Rhyacophila fuscula larvae hunt mayfly and midge larvae on the undersides of submerged stones in cool, well-oxygenated headwater streams, using their long, slender legs to grapple prey rather than waiting in a constructed shelter.

Related Terms

• Trichoptera
• Integripalpia
• Rhyacophila
• caddisfly
• caseless caddisfly
• lotic habitat
• predatory aquatic insect

Usage Notes

Distinguished ecologically from case-making caddisfly families (e.g., Limnephilidae, Leptoceridae) by the absence of larval cases and by active predatory behavior rather than detritivory or filter-feeding. The family is sometimes referred to informally as "free-living caddisflies" or "green sedge" adults, though the latter term overlaps with other families. Rhyacophilidae is the largest family in the superfamily Rhyacophiloidea and among the most species-rich families in the basal trichopteran lineages.