June 2024 - 27

Flies that resemble a caddis emerger, like the purple haze, are a safe bet where caddis are present. (Photo by Jack Ballard)
DIVERSE BUGS
Caddis, or caddisflies, are aquatic bugs apart from
the myriad of mayflies that inhabit North American
waters. They're also known as sedge flies or sedges
and are most closely related to butterflies and moths.
Adult caddis resemble tiny moths with narrow wings.
Unlike mayflies that hold their wings upright above
their bodies at rest, the wings of caddis are folded over
their body and covered with tiny hairs. The antennae
of caddis are substantial, typically spanning the
length of the insect's wings or slightly longer. Adult
caddis range in length from around one-eighth to
five-eighths inches.
Compared to mayflies which may only live in the
adult form for a few hours or less, the adult form of
the caddis normally persists for several weeks. Once
hatched from their aquatic nursery, male caddis do
not return. Females, however, complete their life
cycle by depositing eggs in the water or nearby. With
more than 1,000 species in North America, the size,
color and life-cycle of caddisflies varies substantially.
" There's a lot of diversity in caddis, " Burckhardt said.
" They can be really different in relation to size and
color but also in lifestyle and behavior. "
After the eggs hatch, caddis larvae inhabit the
bottom of a waterbody, growing through several
instars - developmental periods involving the
shedding of the skin - before they pupate. Caddis
larvae have different behaviors, depending on the
species. Some are free-ranging on the streambed,
eating algae from rocks. Another form of caddis is
especially fascinating to Burckhardt.
" There are these really interesting caddis that build
little webs kind of like spiders, " he said.
Other species construct tubes from soil, sand
or other debris in which they live out their larval
form. During the pupal stage caddisflies construct a
cocoon - also known as a shuck - like a butterfly
or moth. The completion of this stage occurs when
the adult insect breaks free from the cocoon at the
water's surface. The wings of adult caddis shed water,
allowing them to escape the surface quickly, unlike
some other aquatic insects that struggle to become
airborne. Even when they're too far away to easily
identify, caddis depart the water in an elliptical arc,
a behavior unlike any other aquatic insect. For many
anglers, caddis are most strongly associated with the
Mother's Day hatch on many Western rivers. But
myopic are the fly casters who consider caddis only
during this epic hatch. Researchers have found there
Wyoming Wildlife | 27

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