Abstract
The discovery of the larval, pupal, and egg stages of the western North American caddisfly, Yphria californica (Banks), has provided the necessary evidence for a re-evaluation of the family designation and systematic relationships of this unique species. In accordance with this evidence, the species is removed from the family Kitagamiidae (or Limnocentropodidae), to which it had been previously assigned on the basis of evidence from adults alone, and re-assigned to the family Phryganeidae. A new subfamily, the Yphriinae, is, however, created in the Phryganeidae to receive this single species, and the definition of the family emended to include males with five segments, as well as four, in the maxillary palpi. Descriptions of all stages of Yphria californica are given.The species has been collected in several localities in California and Oregon, where it lives in cool mountain streams. Observations on the ecology and behavior are given. One significant aspect of the case-making behavior is that the pupal case is composed of materials quite different from those in the larval case, and neither case shows any close similarity to the cases of other members of the Phryganeidae. The phylogenetic implications of this new subfamily are considered.

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