Under Construction

Tree in part from Holzenthal et al. (2007), and the Trichoptera World Checklist (Morse 2010).

Containing group: Trichoptera

Introduction

Integripalpia are the most speciose trichopteran suborder with xxx species, according to the Trichoptera World Checklist (Morse, 2010).  Integripalpia are common, and cosmopolitan.   Larvae construct tubular cases, made from a wide variety of materials, and in a wide variety of architechture. The larva extends its head and legs out the anterior end of the case as it feeds and crawls on the substrate. To increase the size of the case, they simply extend or add to the anterior end with each larval instar, eventually pupating inside the slightly modified larval case. Case-making larvae are primarily detritivores. They feed by shredding and ingesting dead leaves and other plant parts largely of riparian origin. Predation is also common among the case-makers, but herbivory on living plants is less common. Other casemakers feed by scraping the diatoms, other algae, and fine detritus that makes up the periphyton or biofilm. A very few are filterers or snag drifting prey.

Weaver (1984) restricted the concept of Integripalpia to include only the Limnephiloidea of Ross, and this is the sense in which it is used here.

Characteristics

Synapomorphies of the Integripalpia (from Weaver, 1984)

• Larva with mesonotum completely sclerotized (secondarily reduced in Phryganeidae)
• Female abdominal segment X with pair of dorsolateral appendages
• Female genitalia blunt with abdominal segments X and XI reduced and cerci absent
• Female genitalia without cloaca; vulva, and rectum with separate openings, vulva opening ventrally between abdominal sterna VIII and IX or within sternum IX and rectum opening posteriorly from abdominal sternum IX
• Female without long internal apophyses on abdominal segment VIII and IX
• Larval abdomen segment I with lateral and mid-dorsal humps
• Larva with lateral series of spicules on abdominal segments II-VIII

Discussion of Phylogenetic Relationships

The monophyly of Integripalpia has never been seriously questioned.  Ross (1956) identified Integripalpia based on a progression of case making behaviors.  Weaver (1984), in the first cladistic analysis based on morphology, recovered Integripalpia as monophyletic, as did subsequent morphological analyses (Frania and Wiggins, 1997; Ivanov, 2002).  All combined molecular analyses have recovered Integripalpia (Kjer et al., 2001; 2002; Holzenthal et al. 2007), as have partitioned analyses from mitochondrial data (Kjer et al., 2001).

Other Names for Integripalpia

• Tube case makers
• Limnephiloidea Ross 1956 followed Martinov (1924) in subdividing Trichoptera into two groups; Annulipalpia (his "Hydropsychoidea"), and Integripalpia, which included the "spicipalpian families" (his "Rhyacophiloidea"), and Integripalpia, (his Limnephiloidea).

References

Holzenthal R.W., Blahnik, R.J., Kjer K.M and Prather, A.L. 2007. An update on the phylogeny of Caddisflies (Trichoptera). Proceedings of the XIIth International Symposium on Trichoptera. Bueno-Soria, R. Barba-Alvearz and B. Armitage (Eds). pp. 143-153. The Caddis Press.

Frania, H. E., & G. B. Wiggins. 1997. Analysis of morphological and behavioural evidence for the phylogeny and higher classification of Trichoptera (Insecta). Pages 67 in Life Sciences Contributions Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.

Ivanov, V. D. 2002. Contribution to the Trichoptera phylogeny: new family tree with considerations of Trichoptera-Lepidoptera relations. Nova Supplementa Entomologica (Proceedings of the 10th International Symposium on Trichoptera) 15: 277-292.

Kjer, K. M., R. J. Blahnik, & R. W. Holzenthal. 2001. Phylogeny of Trichoptera (caddisflies): characterization of signal and noise within multiple datasets. Systematic Biology 50: 781-816.

Kjer, K. M., R. J. Blahnik, and R. W. Holzenthal. 2002. Phylogeny of Caddisflies (Insecta, Trichoptera). Zoologica Scripta 31(1): 83-91.

Morse, J.C. (ed.) 2010. Trichoptera World Checklist. http://entweb.clemson.edu/database/trichopt/index.htm

Ross, H.H. (1956) Evolution and Classification of the Mountain Caddisflies. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 213 pp.

Weaver, J.S., III. 1984. The evolution and classification of Trichoptera, Part 1: the groundplan of Trichoptera. Pages 413-419 in J.C. Morse (editor). Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Trichoptera. Dr. W. Junk Publishers, The Hague.

Weaver, J.S. III & J.C. Morse. 1986. Evolution of feeding and case-making behavior in Trichoptera. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 5(2): 150-158.