Kieffer, 1915
Body
Large larvae up to 15 mm long. Living larvae are orange to dark red. No lateral and ventral tubules. Procercus and anal tubules present (Wiederholm, 1983; Moller Pillot, 1984a).
Head
The clypeus is separate from the frontal apotome. A subapical pit is absent and labral sclerite 1 are absent.
Antenna
The antenna consists of 6 segments. The blade is subequal to or longer than the flagellum. Lauterborn organs alternate on the second and third segment Microt antenna.
Mentum
The mentum has 2-3 median teeth and 6 pairs of lateral teeth. The median teeth may be yellow and are than in contrast with the dark lateral teeth. The small first and large second lateral teeth are fused Microt mentum. The ventromental plates are narrow and strongly curved about 0.6-0.8x as wide as the mentum.
Labrum
SI is plumose on both sides and labral lamellae a single plate with 10-20 distal teeth. The pecten epipharyngis is either a plate with 3 large teeth (pedellus group) or a single plate with 7 small distal teeth (rydalensis group). The premandible has 3 (pedellus group) of 5 (rydalensis group) teeth.
Mandible
The mandible with a pale dorsal tooth, apical and 3 inner teeth, The pecten mandibularis is present and seta interna with 4 toothed and plumose branches.
Differential characteristics
The combination of 2-3 mid-mental teeth Microt mentum, alternating Lauterborn organs Microt antenna and the absence of tubules on segment 10 is distinctive.
Diversity
European species: 10
Treated taxa:
Species-group Microtendipes chloris agg.
Species-group Microtendipes pedellus agg.
Microtendipes rydalensis
Microtendipes tarsalis