Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota (caddisflies)
Order: Trichoptera
Suborder: Annulipalpia
Superfamily: Hydropsychoidea
Family: Polycentropodidae
Subfamily: Polycentropodinae
Genus: Polyplectropus
Common name: Net-spinning caddisfly, Caseless caddisfly
Caddisflies in the genus Polyplectropus are called tube makers. Polyplectropus caddis larvae have no mobile case, no chelae (pincers) and they have a distinctly speckled head pattern. The head pattern does not include a curved line of spots. The larvae are common throughout New Zealand in slow-flowing gravely streams or soft bottom streams with woody debris,
They construct delicate, silk, filter-feeding nets to trap drifting particulate food items, including other invertebrates and plant fragments.
Polyplectropus caddis larvae
This caddisfly had a body length of 11 mm.
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