Caddisflies
What are they?
Usually relatively small and rather delicate, moth-like insects that are most often found near water. The larvae are aquatic and are best-known for their habit of using small pieces of debris (plant material, pieces of grit etc.) to form protective tubes within which they live at the bottom of ponds and rivers.
Identification
Easily confused with small moths, but the mouth parts are quite different, especially the elongated palps, which stick out in front of the head like an extra pair of legs. In addition, the antennae are usually noticeably very long and the wings are hairy rather than scaled. Telling the caddisfly species apart often requires use of a microscope but the broader groups can generally be separated based on general color and appearance, especially of the wings.
Long-horned caddisfly Triaenodes sp.
These are regular visitors to night lights and form a small group of rather similar species. They are generally pale, straw-colored, with whitish legs and very long antennae.
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