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Guide to New Zealand's freshwater invertebrates
Cased caddis
(
Oeconesidae
: Pseudoeconesus
)
Diagnostic features
Pseudoeconesus caddis larvae construct messy mobile cases with shredded leaf litter. They have a circular head with a relatively flat top circled by a carina (sharp edge). The mesonotum (second segment behind the head) has 4 coloured (sclerotised) plates.
Typical habitats
Pseudoeconesus larvae are most common in bush covered streams.
Feeding
We suspect they feed in a similar way to the related Oeconesus, which are collector-gatherers (feeding on fine particulate organic matter) and shredders (feeding on leaf litter).
Indicator value
The presence of Pseudoeconesus larvae indicates good habitat and water quality, particularly if mayfly and stonefly nymphs are abundant. They have tolerance values of 9 (hard bottom sites) and 6.4 (soft bottom sites).
