On the Identity of Smicridea (Smicridea) aequalis Banks, 1920 (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae): Morphology of Adults and Immature Stages, Bionomics, Distribution, and Male Color Dimorphism.

Abstract

After 100 years of its description, the morphological circumscription of Smicridea aequalis Banks, 1920 is provided in this study by the integration of morphological characters of adult, pupal, and larval stages. This fact facilitates its recognition in faunal inventory studies and allows its use in biomonitoring programs, mainly in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes, two biodiversity hotspots where this species is widely distributed. Adults of S. aequalis may have diurnal activity as they are found frequently and abundantly on the riparian vegetation of fast-flowing streams and rivers during the day. The remarkable color dimorphism observed in males of this species was not reported previously for caddisflies.