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3. Caddis Pupae Question, Page 2

It's tough to do both. It's the "10,000 hours" thing (Malcolm Gladwell). I found I could only do both justice without a family and a patient boss/coworkers (helps to be able to work at any hour day or night). I prefer to do. It's the healthier alternative to boot.

Paul and Spence - My "seperating fly specs from the pepper" regarding analogies aside, your observations are spot on (pun intended).

I just stumbled on this thread and thought I'd add a couple of comments. A reference was made to my video Bugs of the Underworld and the author identified the emerging caddis pupa as a Hydropsychid. It is actually a Banksiola crotchi, one of the Phryganeidae. This section was filmed in British Columbia. I chose these guys to film because they are huge - nearly two inches, and they emerge VERY slowly which makes them ideal for studying the emergence behavior on film. They do not form a bubble, but have extremely strong swimmerets they use to stroke and swim to the surface.

The still photograph is a caddis pupae in Manzanita Lake in N. California. I am not sure of the species. It just popped up out of the weeds and swam around in a few lazy circles then went to the surface and emerged. It was the only caddis of the day. Pure luck to get him. When he (she?) first came out of the weeds it was solid brown, but very quickly two bulges appeared on his thorax and expand with air. The tight cuticle both reflected the light when viewed from above and sparkled with an inner glow when seen in profile and from below. The cuticle is pretty transparent and easily lets the light pass.

MANY caddis form these bubbles under the cuticle, but just as many don't. Gary's book Caddisflies is fairly accurate when he describes which species to imitate with sparkle yarn and which species to not use sparkle yarn (Antron).

Where I disagree with Gary is how Antron works. The photos in his book are taken of flies that were apparently carefully placed in the water. In real fishing conditions that simply doesn't happen. The shear force of the fly going through the film strips any bubbles that might cling to the Antron. Underwater, Antron is rather sparkly and makes a nice effect, but not due to entrained air. I much prefer to coat my nymphs in a dessicant powder. It perfectly imitates the diving ovipositing adults and somewhat imitates the pupa. Bead heads make great pupa imitations when mimicking the air filled caddis species. Hope that helps.

Ralph Cutter
cutter@flyline.com
www.flyline.com

Thanks for chiming in Ralph. The images I've seen of your desicant doused Bird's Nest looks like images I have of adult Hydropsychids underwater -coated with quicksilver.

Again, thanks for visiting, and thanks for all the work you've done to chip away at the REALLY important mysteries of life lol.

A while back, when I posted the above question, I also posed it to Gary Borger on his site. Apparently he'd responded:

http://www.garyborger.com/2010/01/07/caddis-pupa-husk/

Illuminating information, Paul. Thanks for sharing.

Great stuff gentlemen! Really cool information.Thank you

It's encouraging to see facts separated from suppositions, since far too often suppositions are put forth so confidently that they are taken as fact. Thanks, Paul.

I'm still not sure what the facts are. Not 'til I don scuba gear and see for myself I suppose. Or...get my river tank back in action.

Paul,

FWIW - The link you provided points out what I have believed/observed for some time. I haven't done any scuba, but I have done some Summer snorkling and observed caddis pupa many times. I have NEVER observed quicksilver pupa. The halo pupa is my best attempt at imitating the sheathed glistened look. Sometimes there is a bit of gas (fluid) build-up near the head as the cuticle loosens that can appear as a brighter spot, perhaps explaining the effectiveness of some bead head patterns like the Poopah.

Great discussion here fellas!

Our eyes can deceive us and our brain trys to turn these deceptions in to some kind of patterned truth...We are slaves to our senses...:)

Whatever this may mean...

Spence

Wax on, wax off... :)

Ha! Ha! Exactly! I have just discovered that I've gone over 1,300 posts and you are somehow behind me...I think I'll pull over to the side of the road and let you catch up, Kimosabe...;)

Spence

The truth will set us free.

OK, Ralph Cutter says, in a post above, some caddis do form bubbles under the cuticle. Gary Borger comments that there is no evidence for a gas bubble in caddis.

I say, gas bubble or air bubble, what's the difference? It's a bubble and the veil portrays that very thing. (I couldn't think of a better word than, portray), feel free to educate me.

Read this, people. So, Borger is saying only the female egg layers have a veil, sac, etc.

I read the link and it was very interesting. So there is an air bubble but not from what we thought were ascending pupa but female adults ovipositing.

Yes, though Cutter says some caddis do produce a gas bubble. From what I can tell, the issue is not clearly or fully resolved. However, we do know for a fact that LaFontaine's flies work.

http://www.garyborger.com/2010/01/07/caddis-pupa-husk/

"Glisten" in hand is not the same as such fluid might appear under water. Water notoriously degrades light, flattening out reflections. Add depth, clouds, surface ripples, dissolved or suspended matter, and reflections erode rapidly. It would take some serious air (area) to shine. The only aquatic inverts of interest to FF's I can think of that hold that much air are diving caddis species (using the hairs on their wings and bodies), Baetis males (with folded wings), and backswimmers (on the hairs on their wing cases), all collected above the water's surface.