Mayfly Species Paraleptophlebia strigula (Blue Quills)

This species has a pale abdomen shaded with brown; it is close to Paraleptophlebia guttata.

Head and thorax deep blackish, the pleura tinged with brown. Legs whitish. Fore femora tinged with brown throughout; middle and hind femora brown-tinged apically, with the knee brown. Wings hyaline, veins pale. Thorax deep red-brown. Legs pale amber. Longitudinal veins faintly amber-colored.

Abdomen of male whitish hyaline on segments 2-6 and the anterior portion of 7; tergite 2 with considerable dark shading. Apical segments opaque, deep chocolate brown. A short black transverse streak on the postero-lateral corner of segments 2-6, which often has some slight brown suffusion anterior to it, distinguishes this species from P. guttata; in the latter, black lateral dots are present instead of the black streaks. Tails and forceps whitish, faintly brown-tinged at the base. Penes very similar to guttata, but convergent, not divergent apically; the beak-like lateral projections are somewhat shorter and the ribbon-like reflexed spurs longer. (See fig. 133)The subanal plate with a deep narrow U-shaped apical excavation.

Head of female red-brown, vertex shaded with black. Abdomen of female deep red-brown.