Polyplectropus, Ulmer, 1905

Cartwright, David I. & Wells, Alice, 2025, Revision of the Polycentropodidae of Australia (Insecta: Trichoptera). Part I. The genus Polyplectropus Ulmer, 1905, Zootaxa 5666 (4), pp. 567-576 : 575

Polyplectropus larvae

Polyplectropus larvae have been described from several countries – P. gedehensis Ulmer 1951 from Sunda Island, Indonesia ( Ulmer, 1957), P. puerilis (McLachlan, 1868) from New Zealand ( Cowley, 1978, fig. 9), P. nanjinensis Li & Morse, 1997 China ( Li & Morse 1997, figs 29–33), and P. malicky and P. protensus both Nozaki, Katsuma & Hattori, 2010 from Japan ( Nozaki et al. 2010, figs 4, 5), P. unicus Hsu & Chen 1996 ( Hsu & Chen 1996; Nozaki & Shimura 2013). Most of the Asian and New Zealand Polyplectropus larvae have anal claws lacking basal processes which is quite different to North (and South) American and (putative) Australian species which have three basal processes ( Wiggins 1977: 355, fig. A; Chamorro & Holzenthal 2010, fig. 1; Cartwright 1998, fig. 3.29).

For Australia, at least partial keys to larvae of polycentropodid genera are given by Cartwright & Dean (1982) and Dean et al. (2004), and keys to voucher species, together with basic diagrams, are provided by Cartwright (1998). All these references mention ‘Genus I’ larvae, a group comprising larvae of Adectophylax , possibly Plectrocnemia (Tasmanoplegus) (larva unknown), probably Polyplectropus , and maybe other ‘genera’. At present, no Australian Polyplectropus larva has been associated positively with an adult male either through breeding out or COI/DNA association. Larvae from NT and Qld, figured in part by Cartwright (1998; figs 3.28, 3.29) are possibly those of Polyplectropus .