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.
Featured on the forum
Some characteristics from the microscope images for the tentative species id: The postero-lateral projections are found only on segment 9, not segment 8. Based on the key in Jacobus et al. (2014), it appears to key to Neoleptophlebia adoptiva or Neoleptophlebia heteronea, same as this specimen with pretty different abdominal markings. However, distinguishing between those calls for comparing the lengths of the second and third segment of the labial palp, and this one (like the other one) only seems to have two segments. So I'm stuck on them both. It's likely that the fact that they're immature nymphs stymies identification in some important way.
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.
Caddisfly Family Lepidostomatidae (Little Brown Sedges)
See Lepidostoma for details. It's the only important genus in this family.
The other one, Theliopsyche, is an uncommon Eastern small stream genus.
The other one, Theliopsyche, is an uncommon Eastern small stream genus.
Family Range
Specimens of the Caddisfly Family Lepidostomatidae
3 Male Adults
On an evening filled with millions of caddisflies, this one stood out as the only one of its kind that found its way into my net. Dave Ruiter identified it from the photos as a Lepidostoma specimen in the pluviale species group.
2 Female Adults
This one has a neat iridescent sheen to its wings.
See the discussion for details on this fly's tentative ID.
See the discussion for details on this fly's tentative ID.
These specimens are still alive, just very cold, so the colors are accurate. I put them in the freezer for a bit to settle them down and overdid it a little:)
5 Larvae
This one got a little bit damaged in the abdomen when I extracted it from its case. That's a delicate job.
The photo of the specimen cased is alive. The photo of the uncased larva is the same specimen taken after it was preserved in its case. Unfortunately, there was a lot of pigment transfer making the specimen look olivaceous. In life it was grayish white as shown in the first photo.
Start a Discussion of Lepidostomatidae
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.
- LaFontaine, Gary. 1981. Caddisflies. The Lyons Press.
- Swisher, Doug and Carl Richards. 2000. Selective Trout. The Lyons Press.
Caddisfly Family Lepidostomatidae (Little Brown Sedges)
Taxonomy
Genus in Lepidostomatidae: Lepidostoma, Theliopsyche