Alloecentrella magnicornis is a species of caddisfly belonging to the order Trichoptera. The species was first described by Keith Arthur John Wise in 1958, and is endemic to New Zealand.
The holotype of the species was originally collected in the Waitākere Township area in 1934, and is housed in the Auckland War Memorial Museum.[1] Alloecentrella magnicornis was not recognised as a distinct species until 1958. Wise created the genus Alloecentrella due to morphological differences found in Alloecentrella magnicornis not seen in other New Zealand caddisflies. The genus was monotypic until 2007.[2]
Phylogenetic analysis indicates that Alloecentrella magnicornis forms a clade with Pycnocentrella eurensis, and is more distantly related to Pycnocentria species, Beraeoptera roria, Confluens hamiltoni, Pycnocentrodes aureolus and species of Olinga.[3]
Wise's original text (the type description) reads as follows:
The larvae of the species has a frontoclypeus with lateral margins.
Alloecentrella magnicornis feeds on liverworts and mosses.
The species is endemic to New Zealand, known to occur on the North Island.[4] It is one of two Alloecentrella caddisflies known to occur on the North Island, alongside Alloecentrella incisus.[4]
Alloecentrella magnicornis is often found in swift-flowing streams in the upper North Island, typically in forested areas where rock substrates allow liverworts and mosses to grow.[5]
Adults and larvae of the species are known to be present from October to late February.[5]