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 is an interesting one. Following the keys in Merritt R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B. (2019) and Jacobus et al. (2014), it keys clearly to Ephemerella. Jacobus et al provide a key to species, but some of the characteristics are tricky to interpret without illustrations. If I didn't make any mistakes, this one keys to Ephemerella mucronata, which has not previously been reported any closer to here than Montana and Alberta. The main character seems to fit well: "Abdominal terga with prominent, paired, subparallel, spiculate ridges." Several illustrations or descriptions of this holarctic species from the US and Europe seem to match, including the body length, tarsal claws and denticles, labial palp, and gill shapes. These sources include including Richard Allen's original description of this species in North America under the now-defunct name E. moffatae in Allen RK (1977) and the figures in this description of the species in Italy.
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Updates from June 30, 2017
Updates from June 30, 2017
Photos by Troutnut from the South Fork Stillaguamish River in Washington
Closeup insects by Troutnut from the South Fork Stillaguamish River in Washington
This one was collected in association with a male spinner, but they appear to be different families.
I'm unsure of the ID on this one; keys put it closest to Cinygmula reticulata, but I'm very doubtful of the species and not positive on the genus. Epeorus is another possibility, but I don't know which species it would be.
This one was collected in association with a female dun probably of a different family.
This one was collected in association with a female dun probably of a different family.
Comments / replies
Martinlf on Jul 2, 2017July 2nd, 2017, 12:25 pm EDT
Beautiful photos, Jason.
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"
--Fred Chappell
--Fred Chappell
Jmd123 on Jul 2, 2017July 2nd, 2017, 12:31 pm EDT
Gorgeous! Reminds me of Oregon, including the heavily-spotted rainbows in the McKenzie River. Looks like some nice bigleaf maples in the background on the last photo. Gotta get back to that part of the world again sometime...
Jonathon
Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
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References
- Jacobus, L. M., Wiersema, N.A., and Webb, J.M. 2014. Identification of Far Northern and Western North American Mayfly Larvae (Insecta: Ephemeroptera), North of Mexico; Version 2. Joint Aquatic Science meeting, Portland, OR. Unpublished workshop manual. 1-176.
- Merritt R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B. 2019. An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America (Fifth Edition). Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.