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.
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This wild-looking little thing completely puzzled me. At first I was thinking beetle or month larva, until I got a look at the pictures on the computer screen. I made a couple of incorrect guesses before entomologist Greg Courtney pointed me in the right direction with Psychodidae. He suggested a possible genus of Thornburghiella, but could not rule out some other members of the tribe Pericomini.
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Curved Springflies
This common name refers to only one species. Click its scientific name to learn more.
Stonefly Species Skwala curvata
These are very rarely called Curved Springflies.
This species is virtually identical in appearance to Skwala americana. Telling them apart is usually only possible by comparing genitalia. See the Skwala genus page for detailed information.
This female dropped her eggs just before this photo was snapped. The distinctive notch in the subgenital plate identifies the species. An interesting observation is how active they get when exposed to direct sunlight. Trying to stage this specimen was most difficult. In the shade it would calm right down, but when exposed to direct sun it would immediately go nuts, scampering all over quickly without pause. Perhaps this explains why they don't seem to be found out and about on overcast days, but if the sun peeks out... She was 24 mm long, head to wingtip.