caddis fly

noun

1. any small mothlike insect of the order Trichoptera, having two pairs of hairy wings and aquatic larvae (caddis worms)

Word History and Origins

Origin of caddis fly¹

C17: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

The creek is teeming with caddis flies, a primary food for wild fish, as well as trout ranging in size from 1-inch fry to 10 inches.

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Once upon a time, perhaps some 300 million years ago, a tiny stream-dwelling insect akin to a caddis fly crawled from the water and began to live on mosses and other land plants.

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Her colleague, Cathy Wiss, coordinator of the organization’s water quality monitoring program, sifted through wet, brown leaves and pointed at a wriggling black insect: the larva of a common variety of caddis fly.

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One concern for officials is that the snails can gather in dense concentrations and are capable of blanketing rocks that are critical habitat for species like mayflies and caddis flies, food sources for trout.

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At Diamond, the bugs in the muck run the gamut from aquatic worms, leeches, flatworms, scuds, mayflies, caddis flies, mosquitoes, water mites, snails and clams to dragonflies and beetles.

Read more on Seattle Times