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Lateral view of a Female Hexagenia limbata (Ephemeridae) (Hex) Mayfly Dun from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin
Hex Mayflies
Hexagenia limbata

The famous nocturnal Hex hatch of the Midwest (and a few other lucky locations) stirs to the surface mythically large brown trout that only touch streamers for the rest of the year.

27" brown trout, my largest ever. It was the sub-dominant fish in its pool. After this, I hooked the bigger one, but I couldn't land it.
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Springflies

Like most common names,"Springfly" can refer to more than one taxon. They're previewed below, along with 5 specimens. For more detail click through to the scientific names.

Stonefly Genus Helopicus

These are pretty much always called Springflies.
Lateral view of a Female Helopicus subvarians (Perlodidae) (Springfly) Stonefly Adult from the West Branch of the Delaware River in New York
I caught this female during her egg-laying flight.

Stonefly Genus Megarcys

These are pretty much always called Springflies.
Megarcys subtruncata (Perlodidae) (Springfly) Stonefly Adult from the Touchet River in Washington

Stonefly Genus Perlinodes

These are pretty much always called Springflies.
Female Perlinodes aurea (Perlodidae) (Springfly) Stonefly Adult from the Touchet River in Washington

Stonefly Species Perlinodes aurea

These are pretty much always called Springflies.
Female Perlinodes aurea (Perlodidae) (Springfly) Stonefly Adult from the Touchet River in Washington

Stonefly Genus Cultus

These are often called Springflies.
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Dorsal view of a Cultus tostonus (Perlodidae) (Springfly) Stonefly Nymph from the Cedar River in Washington
This specimen keys pretty well to Cultus. Key characteristics observed under the microscope but not necessarily apparent on my photo are the lack of submental gills (or any gills at all), the lack of short, stout setae on the occiput or anterolateral prothoracic margins, and the lack of a low knob below the subapical tooth on the lacinia. Species known to be found in Washington are Cultus pilatus and Cultus tostonus. It clearly does not fit the description by Frison (1942) of Diploperla pilata, as Cultus pilatus was first named. I cannot find a detailed description of the nymph of tostonus, but Ricker 1952 describes a defining character of the adults, "Head mostly yellow, the only important dark marking being the bands which join the anterior to the lateral ocelli ; median pronotal stripe, at its middle, about one-fifth of the width of the pronotum." The nymph shows a very dark pattern fitting that description on the head (likely retained into adulthood) and the pronotal stripe is about the right width, too. Given that visual description, the range, and the poor fit to pilatus, I'm calling this Cultus tostonus.

Stonefly Genus Isogenoides

These are often called Springflies.
Isogenoides olivaceus is a common species.
Dorsal view of a Isogenoides hansoni (Perlodidae) (Appalachian Springfly) Stonefly Nymph from Mongaup Creek in New York
This large Perlodidae stonefly was a strikingly bright yellow color, more so than any other insect I've seen. I didn't enhance it much. See the discussion threads to follow how we identified this specimen, which was listed incorrectly for several years.

Stonefly Species Megarcys subtruncata

These are often called Springflies.
Megarcys subtruncata (Perlodidae) (Springfly) Stonefly Adult from the Touchet River in Washington
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