Species profile: Beraea pullata

Beraea pullata (Curtis, 1834)

Beraea pullata is one of three members of the Family Beraeidae found in Ireland, and one of two representatives of the genus. It is a species whose larvae can be found in dense vegetation in flowing marshes, springs and margins of streams, in open rather than shaded sites. The larval case is curved and made of sand grains.

Beraea pullata has a semivoltine reproductive cycle (one generation in two year) in temperate regions and lives more than one year. Its feeding ecology is predominantly a gatherer of fine particular organic matter (FPOM), shredding of fallen leaves and plant material, with some grazing.

Characteristic features of the larva of Beraea pullata include the presence of a ventral brush of setae on the anal proleg just below the claw (which has one decumbent accessory hook), pronotum with a broadly rounded ‘flap’ on the anterior-lateral corner with an associated ridge, and a dorsal process on the anal leg which has three setae, which are one-third as long as the long seta.

Adults of Beraea pullata can be found on the wing from May to July (September).

For details of published records of Beraea pullata, 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.

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.

Wallace, I.D., Wallace, B. and Philipson, G.N. (2003) Keys to the Case-bearing Caddis Larvae of Britain and Ireland. Scientific Publication of the Freshwater Biological Association No. 61.

Last updated: 09/04/2018