Little Brown Sedges

Mayflies

Caddisflies

Stoneflies

Scientific Names

Match	Scientific Name
	Lepidostomatidae
	Lepidostoma
	Lepidostoma podagrum
	Lepidostoma pluviale

Like most common names, "Little Brown Sedge" can refer to more than one taxon. They're previewed below, along with 4 specimens. For more detail click through to the scientific names.

Caddisfly Family Lepidostomatidae

These are pretty much always called Little Brown Sedges.

See Lepidostoma for details. It's the only important genus in this family.

The other one, Theliopsyche, is an uncommon Eastern small stream genus.

Lepidostoma (Little Brown Sedges) Little Brown Sedge Larva

View 6 PicturesThis one got a little bit damaged in the abdomen when I extracted it from its case. That's a delicate job.

Collected May 6, 2007 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on May 18, 2007

Theliopsyche (Little Brown-Green Sedges) Little Brown Sedge Adult

View 5 PicturesThis one has a neat iridescent sheen to its wings.

See the discussion for details on this fly's tentative ID.

Collected May 28, 2007 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on June 4, 2007

See 8 more specimens...

Little Brown Sedge Genus Lepidostoma

These are pretty much always called Little Brown Sedges.

This genus is important for trout anglers. Many species of Lepidostoma produce excellent hatches, especially in the West. Lepidostoma can be very prolific in spring creek environments or smaller runoff streams with springs. Lepidostoma togatum is the most important species of this genus in the East and Midwest. The West has several species that are important.

Lepidostoma (Little Brown Sedges) Little Brown Sedge Larva

View 6 PicturesThis one got a little bit damaged in the abdomen when I extracted it from its case. That's a delicate job.

Collected May 6, 2007 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on May 18, 2007

Female Lepidostoma podagrum (Little Brown Sedge) Little Brown Sedge Adult

View 3 PicturesThese specimens are still alive, just very cold, so the colors are accurate. I put them in the freezer for a bit to settle them down and overdid it a little:)

Collected May 12, 2011 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on December 14, 2011

See 7 more specimens...

Little Brown Sedge Species Lepidostoma podagrum

These are pretty much always called Little Brown Sedges.

This species can be distinguished from other Lepidostoma by its swollen & scaly foretibiae. This is an important species in some western locales and often precipitates excellent angling opportunities. See the Lepidostoma genus hatch page for information on habitat and life history (Life history: The detailed life cycle of an organism, including the stages it passes through and characteristic behavior relating to growth and reproduction.).

Lepidostoma podagrum (Little Brown Sedge) Little Brown Sedge Larva

View 2 PicturesThe photo of the specimen cased is alive. The photo of the uncased larva is the same specimen taken after it was preserved in its case. Unfortunately, there was a lot of pigment transfer making the specimen look olivaceous. In life it was grayish white as shown in the first photo.

Collected May 12, 2011 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on December 14, 2011

Female Lepidostoma podagrum (Little Brown Sedge) Little Brown Sedge Adult

View 3 PicturesThese specimens are still alive, just very cold, so the colors are accurate. I put them in the freezer for a bit to settle them down and overdid it a little:)

Collected May 12, 2011 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on December 14, 2011

See 2 more specimens...

Little Brown Sedge Species Lepidostoma pluviale

These are often called Little Brown Sedges.

This is the most important Western species of Lepidostoma, and it can be very important to fly anglers.

Jargon Defined:

Abdomen: The rear and usually the longest (ten-segmented in mayflies) portion of an insect's body, to which the tails are attached.

Larva: Many classes of aquatic insects, such as caddisflies, midges, craneflies, dobsonflies, alderflies, and many more, are known as "larvae" rather than "nymphs" in their juvenile stages. They have mostly soft bodies rather than hard exoskeletons. These insects also advance through a "pupa" stage before reaching adulthood.

Life history: The detailed life cycle of an organism, including the stages it passes through and characteristic behavior relating to growth and reproduction.