Author: (Kieffer, 1921)
Diagnosis (in part after Saether, 1990a - in italics)
Exuviae 2.2-3.0mm long (m=2.6mm, n=12).
Cephalothorax: Frontal setae on frontal apotome. Eye facet impressions on eye sheaths using phase contrast or oblique illumination at most vaguely indicated to nearly half way, often undetectable. Ocular field with 1 vertical and 1-2 postorbitals. Thoracic horn reduced to a small tubercle. Precorneal tubercle present, 3 fine and short precorneals. 2 Median and 1 lateral, fine antepronotals. 4 Dorsocentrals, setal marks of setae 2 and 3 separated by 2-13µm, distance between setae 3 and 4 about 30-35µm. Thorax and wing sheaths smooth.
Abdomen: Tergites generally covered with small points, larger anteriorly. Tergite I without shagreen, II-VIII with coarse and extensive shagreen; II-VIII with posterior transverse rows of translucent or slightly darkened elongate spines. Posterior long spines IV 37-77 (m=57, n=13), VI 24-51 (m=42, n=13). Longest spine IV 37-55µm long (m=48µm, n=15), VI 40-57µm long (m=48µm, n=15). Anterior points of tergite VII not forming transverse rows. Paratergite IV armed with small points. Pedes spurii Aand B absent. Sternite I without shagreen; II-VIII with fine, sparse median points. Lateral setae of segment IV 113-150µm long (m=128µm, n=14). Segment VIII with 5 long lateral setae, fourth seta 53-103µm long (n=8) and non-taeniate.
Anal segment: Points on tergite IX robust, as strong as those on VIII, but much neater in appearance, the mid points of the central patch and lateral bands single and more or less equally distributed. Points on tergite IX increasing in size to a third or half way and then diminishing in size to posterior extent, the lateral bands usually short and weakly developed. Anal lobes smooth, somewhat rectangular, without fringe. Anal macrosetae of anal lobes long, 0.71-1.1x length of the anal lobe (m=0.9, n=13), setae thin and apically curved. Genital sheaths overreaching 23µm in male, ± 50µm short in female.
(Linked adult male: Langton and Pinder, 2003a)
Species keys out at Page 763: Orthocladiinae 175 Limnophyes of the Text Key.
Distribution
Widespread in Europe.
(For more information see module IdentifyIt – file: Orthocladiinae).
Ecological notes
Larvae in wet moss and dead leaves: on rocks in streams, in the spray of waterfalls, at the edges of woodland pools.