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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.

Case view of a Pycnopsyche guttifera (Limnephilidae) (Great Autumn Brown Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington
It's only barely visible in one of my pictures, but I confirmed under the microscope that this one has a prosternal horn and the antennae are mid-way between the eyes and front of the head capsule.

I'm calling this one Pycnopsyche, but it's a bit perplexing. It seems to key definitively to at least Couplet 8 of the Key to Genera of Limnephilidae Larvae. That narrows it down to three genera, and the case seems wrong for the other two. The case looks right for Pycnopsyche, and it fits one of the key characteristics: "Abdominal sternum II without chloride epithelium and abdominal segment IX with only single seta on each side of dorsal sclerite." However, the characteristic "metanotal sa1 sclerites not fused, although often contiguous" does not seem to fit well. Those sclerites sure look fused to me, although I can make out a thin groove in the touching halves in the anterior half under the microscope. Perhaps this is a regional variation.

The only species of Pycnopsyche documented in Washington state is Pycnopsyche guttifera, and the colors and markings around the head of this specimen seem to match very well a specimen of that species from Massachusetts on Bugguide. So I am placing it in that species for now.

Whatever species this is, I photographed another specimen of seemingly the same species from the same spot a couple months later.
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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You can create new topics in this section from each hatch's page in the insect section.
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4
Jul 5, 2016
by Bombillo
21
Jul 5, 2016
by Bombillo
20
Apr 29, 2014
by TNEAL
Hex Hatch 2012
Apr 15, 2012 by Hdhungryman in genus Hexagenia
5
Aug 12, 2012
by Taxon
Hexagenia orlando
Feb 29, 2008 by Curtis in genus Hexagenia
4
Mar 1, 2011
by Jmd123
Hex nymph behavior
Jun 18, 2006 by Millerpa in species Hexagenia limbata
9
Dec 4, 2008
by Beardius
2
Mar 20, 2007
by Taxon
Hex is next!
Jun 10, 2006 by AftonAngler in species Hexagenia limbata
0
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