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Artistic view of a Male Pteronarcys californica (Pteronarcyidae) (Giant Salmonfly) Stonefly Adult from the Gallatin River in Montana
Salmonflies
Pteronarcys californica

The giant Salmonflies of the Western mountains are legendary for their proclivity to elicit consistent dry-fly action and ferocious strikes.

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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Stonefly Genus Acroneuria (Golden Stones)

This abundant genus has three important East/Midwest species. The superabundant species in the West have been moved to the new genera Calineuria and Hesperoperla.

Where & when

In 163 records from GBIF, adults of this genus have mostly been collected during June (45%), July (23%), and May (21%).

In 50 records from GBIF, this genus has been collected at elevations ranging from 20 to 10663 ft, with an average (median) of 1721 ft.

Genus Range

Identification

To determine whether a specimen of Perlidae belongs to Acroneuria, use the Key to Genera of Perlidae Nymphs.

Specimens of the Stonefly Genus Acroneuria

1 Female Adult
6 Nymphs

Start a Discussion of Acroneuria

References

Stonefly Genus Acroneuria (Golden Stones)

Taxonomy
10 species (Acroneuria arida, Acroneuria evoluta, Acroneuria filicis, Acroneuria flinti, Acroneuria frisoni, Acroneuria hitchcocki, Acroneuria internata, Acroneuria ozarkensis, Acroneuria perplexa, and Acroneuria petersi) aren't included.
Genus Range
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