Subject: What is this bug?
Location: Near Darrington, WA
October 20, 2013 6:55 pm
Hello!
I found this bug near the Sauk River in Washington State. If you are able to identify it, I’d be very happy.
Signature: Darcy
Hi Darcy,
We hope an insect order will suffice. This is a Caddisfly in the order Trichoptera. According to BugGuide, there are: “>1,350 spp. in ~150 genera of 22 families in NA” and we haven’t the necessary skills to provide a more specific taxonomy than the order. Caddisflies are feeble fliers and they are often confused with moths. Because they cannot fly great distances, they are generally found not far from water where the aquatic larvae develop. Caddisfly larvae often build distinctive shelters from pebbles, shells, twigs and other aquatic detritus, and for that reason they are frequently called Casemakers or Caseworms. Freshwater anglers use Caddisfly larvae as bait.