Protoptila
Guides
Protoptilinae
Protoptilinae is the most diverse subfamily of Glossosomatidae, the saddle- or tortoise-case-making caddisflies. The subfamily contains 18 genera with a strikingly disjunct global distribution: five genera occur in the East Palaearctic and Oriental regions, while the remaining thirteen genera are restricted to the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. Members construct portable cases from mineral or plant material. The subfamily has undergone extensive taxonomic revision based on adult morphology and molecular phylogenetics, resulting in several new synonymies and refined generic diagnoses.