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SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION . WASHINGTON, D.C. 



Volume 115 1964 Number 3491 



NOTES ON SOME NEARCTIC PSYCHOMYIIDAE 



WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THEIR LARVAE 



(TRICHOPTERA) 



By Oliver S. Flint, Jr. 



Introduction 



The caddis-fly family Psychomyiidae is represented in America 

 north of Mexico by 10 genera containing 61 species. The larvae of 

 this family construct fixed retreats that vary from simple silken 

 covers to long tubes and complex trap nets. Until 1944, when Ross 

 published a key to the genera for the larvae and pupae, it was vir- 

 tually impossible to identify the immature stages of our species, 

 even to genus in most cases. The subsequent modifications of that 

 key (Ross, 1959, and here) permit generic determination of most 

 larvae, but specific determination in our larger genera cannot yet be 

 made with any degree of certainty. 



Since the publication of Ross' key (1959), several papers have 

 appeared and a few critical associations have been established that 

 make expansion and modification of his key necessary. Edwards 

 (1961) described the larvae of Xiphocentron mexico, and the collection 

 of a metamorphotype (sensu MUne, 1938) of Ross' Genus B (1944, 

 p. 74) establishes its synonymy with Nyctiophylax vestitus. A critical 

 examination of more material also has necessitated the synonymy 

 of Genus A (Ross 1944, p. 73) with Nyctiophylax. The collection 



467 



693-434—63 



