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A. auricollis is a typical autumn sedge, it is widely spread throughout the alps and of importance for fly anglers for its hatches are often plentiful.
It is a medium to large size sedge, with a forewing that can reach 16 mm in lenght.
If one observes it during its flight, the insect presents a gray tone. A closer look shows that wings are dark, with almost a black hue.
The abdomen is brownish and legs almost orange, backlegs tend to be darker then mid and forelegs.
Tibial spurs: A.auricollis has has 1 spur on the foreleg, 3 spurs in the midleg and 3 spurs in the backleg. In the picture above the 3 spurs of the midleg tibia and the single spur on the foreleg tibia are clearly visible.
In the picture above:
- Females have 5 maxillar palp segments (males of this species only 3).
- the ocelli are well visible between the compound eyes: Limnephilildae family members always present ocelli.
Other common characateristic of Limenephilildae family is the absence of the fourth apical cell: 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th are present.
The sure identification at the species level is possible with the use of a good microscope with a 60 to 100x zoom factor. Above (ventral view) and below (side view) a close up of female genitalia details, taken with a SLR camera, macro lens and bellows.
