Bug FAQCommon Stony-cased Caddisfly
Pycnocentrodes aeris · Order: Trichoptera · Family: Conoesucidae
The adult has forewings about 8 mm long and hind wings about 5.6 mm long (overall wing length 7 to 10 mm). It is endemic to New Zealand and occurs throughout both the North and South Islands. Larvae build portable cases from sand grains glued together with silk.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The front wings are almost clear with pale yellowish spots and two thin transverse lines near the base that join and continue toward the wing edge.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Forewing length averages about 8 mm and hind wing length about 5.6 mm. Overall wing length ranges from 7 to 10 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is the most widespread Pycnocentrodes species in New Zealand, found across both main islands.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is endemic to New Zealand.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It can be confused with P. aureola, but differs in the posterior wing where veins R2 and R3 arise separately, a trait it shares with P. chiltoni.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I identify the Common Stony-cased Caddisfly?
Look for almost colourless front wings with pale yellowish spots and two thin transverse lines that join and run toward the wing edge; the forewings are about 8 mm long.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is this caddisfly found?
It is endemic to New Zealand and occurs throughout both the North and South Islands.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the larvae do?
The larvae build portable cases from sand grains glued together with silk and will repair any damage to their cases.
Source: Wikipedia
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pycnocentrodes_aeris
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.