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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.
Troutnut is a project started in 2003 by salmonid ecologist Jason "Troutnut" Neuswanger to help anglers and fly tyers unabashedly embrace the entomological side of the sport. Learn more about Troutnut or support the project for an enhanced experience here.

Updates from April 18, 2006

Updates from April 18, 2006

Photos by Troutnut from Mongaup Creek in New York

Mongaup Creek in New York

Underwater photos by Troutnut from the East Branch of the Delaware River and Mongaup Creek in New York

I love this "above & below" landscape from a popular Catskill trout stream.  The picture is not doctored to show both perspectives.  Instead, my Pentax Optio WPi digital camera is able to take pictures with the tiny lens half-in, half-out of the water.

From the East Branch of the Delaware River in New York
Several Baetidae nymphs line up on a rock.

From Mongaup Creek in New York
This is a close-up underwater view of a stillborn Ephemerella subvaria (Henrickson) female dun.

From the East Branch of the Delaware River in New York
A Brachycentrus "Apple Caddis" pupa scoots around in the surface film.  Apparently it had some difficulty emerging, so I was able to slip my camera underneath it and take a picture from below.

From the East Branch of the Delaware River in New York
This picture from below shows a stillborn Ephemerella subvaria (Hendrickson) dun drifting on the surface amidst a number of shed pupal skins from Brachycentrus caddisflies which were heavily hatching that day.

From the East Branch of the Delaware River in New York
This Brachycentrus "Apple Caddis" struggled more than its kin in escaping its pupal skin, enabling me to take an underwater picture of it from directly below.  This is sort of a trout's eye view, but I used the flash for the picture so the transparent shuck appears far brighter than it really is.

From the East Branch of the Delaware River in New York
Mongaup Creek in New York
Mongaup Creek in New York
Mongaup Creek in New York

On-stream insect photos by Troutnut from Mongaup Creek in New York

Here's an above-the-water view of a stillborn Ephemerella subvaria dun which I also photographed from below the water.

From Mongaup Creek in New York

Closeup insects by Troutnut from the Beaverkill River and Mongaup Creek in New York

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