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Little Brown Sedges



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 LarvaLepidostoma (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 AdultTheliopsyche (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 LarvaLepidostoma (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 AdultFemale 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 LarvaLepidostoma 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 AdultFemale 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.
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