Species profile: Cyrnus trimaculatus

Cyrnus trimaculatus (Curtis, 1834)

Cyrnus trimaculatus is one of eleven members of the Family Polycentropodidae found in Ireland, and one of three of the genus Cyrnus. It is a species whose larvae can be found in ponds, lakes and slow-moving rivers. Its substratum preference is mainly for plants and mosses, but also stones and gravel. It shows a preference acidic water, and can be found in brackish water areas.

Cyrnus trimaculatus lives for up to one year. Its feeding ecology is predominantly predation, with a small amount of passive filter feeding, using tubular nets attached to plants.

Characteristic features of the larva of Cyrnus trimaculatus include a basal membranous section of the anal proleg equal in length to the distal sclerotized section, the four blunt teeth on the inside of the anal claws, and the dark band on the dorsal surface of the head.

Adults of Cyrnus trimaculatus can be found on the wing from May to October.

For distribution records of Cyrnus trimaculatus, visit the National Biodiversity Data Centre page here.

References

Barnard, P. and Ross, E. (2012) The Adult Trichoptera (Caddisflies) of Britain and Ireland. RES Handbook Volume 1, Part 17.

Edington, J.M. and Hildrew, A.G. (1995) A Revised Key to the Caseless Caddis Larvae of the British Isles: with notes on their ecology. Freshwater Biological Association Special Publication No. 53.

Graf, W., Murphy, J., Dahl, J., Zamora-Muñoz, C. and López-Rodríguez, M.J. (2008) Distribution and Ecological Preferences of European Freshwater Species. Volume 1: Trichoptera. Astrid Schmidt-Kloiber & Daniel Hering (eds). Pensoft, Sofia-Moscow.

O’Connor, J.P. (2015) A Catalogue and Atlas of the Caddisflies (Trichoptera) of Ireland. Occasional Publication of the Irish Biogeographical Society, No. 11.

Last updated: 08/04/2018