order
                        
                      
                                    Coleoptera
                                       “Adult Beetles”
                                  
                                    Coleoptera
                                       “Larval Beetles”
                                  
                                    Diptera
                                       “True Flies”
                                  
                                    Ephemeroptera
                                       “Mayflies”
                                  
                                    Hemiptera
                                       “True Bugs”
                                  
                                    Lepidoptera
                                       “Aquatic Caterpillars, Snout Moths”
                                  
                                    Megaloptera
                                       “Alderflies, Dobsonflies, and Fishflies”
                                  
                                    Odonata
                                       “Dragonflies and Damselflies”
                                  
                                    Plecoptera
                                       “Stoneflies”
                                  
                                    Trichoptera
                                       “Caddisflies”
                                 family
                        
                     Hydroptilidae
               
            genus
                     Hydroptila
            
                  “Microcaddisflies, Purse Casemakers”
               
      Genus Overview
                  
               No genus-level description defined.
                  Characteristics
                  
               POLLUTION TOLERANCE
                        No pollution tolerance ranges defined.
                        FEEDING HABITS
                        
                                 Piercer / Herbivore
Scraper / Grazer
                        
                     Scraper / Grazer
MOVEMENT
                        
                                 Clinger
                        
                     DISTRIBUTION
                        
                                 Widespread (east of the Rocky Mtns.)
                        
                     HABITAT
                        
                                 Lotic-depositional
Lotic-erosional
                        
                     Lotic-erosional
Diagnostic Characters
               order
                         
                                       
                                       
                                    Prolegs With Single Hook
                                 family
                         
                                       
                                       
                                    Mesonotum sclerotized
                                  
                                       
                                       
                                    Pronotum Sclerotized
                                  
                                       
                                       
                                    Short Overall Length
                                  
                                       
                                       
                                    Flattened Case
                                  
                                       
                                       
                                    Metanotum Sclerotized
                                  
                                       
                                       
                                    No Ventral Abdominal Gills
                                  
                                       
                                       
                                    Tiny Anal Claws
                                 
                  + Expanded Character List
                  
                     
               
            
                        Order:
                           Larvae: Wings/wing pads absent. Eye spots present, but compound eyes absent. Antennae usually small, inconspicuous. Three pairs of segmented legs present on thorax. Pair of anal prolegs, each with single hook, located on last abdominal segment. Larvae can be free-living, in silken retreats attached to substrate, or in usually-portable tubes or cases made of sand, rocks, or plant material.
                     
                     
                        Family:
                           The larva is very small (less than ¼ inch) and lives in a case, usually flat, made of silk or sand or filamentous algae; the tops of all three thoracic segments are covered by sclerites; there are no gills on the ventral side of the abdomen; usually the anal prolegs are mostly fused with the end of the abdomen except their apical hooks.
                     
                     
                        Genus:
                           Not defined.
                     
                   
                   
            Lateral
               Case
               


