Hydropsychidae Curtis

Wichard, Wilfried, Solórzano, Mónica M., Kraemer & Luer, Claus, 2006, First caddisfly species from Mexican amber (Insecta: Trichoptera), Zootaxa 1378, pp. 37-48 : 41

Family Hydropsychidae Curtis

Plectropsyche is a small genus with only 2 recent species, P. hoogstraali Ross , the type species, and P. pitelli Denning. It belongs to the subfamily Hydropsychinae , which was reviewed by Ross & Unzicker (1977) and recently evaluated by Schefter (2005). Plectropsyche is found today in Mexico and Costa Rica. Nothing is published about the immature stages or the biology of the species ( Flint et al. 1999).

Based on the key of Schefter (2005) the genus Plectropsyche is characterized by a number of characters, including the position of crossvein cu near crossvein m-cu and the fusion of Cu2 and A1 at or before the wing margin in the forewing, by the presence of fork III and the absence of crossvein m in the hind wing, the absence of episternal warts on the prothorax, and the presence of bundles of seta on the foreleg tarsal claws.

In the male genitalia ( Ross & Unzicker 1977) the genus Plectropsyche is characterized by the basal segment of the inferior appendage being at least twice as long as the apical segment and the apex of the phallus with endothecal processes and lobules of the endothecal lobe.