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 specimen keys pretty easily to Onocosmoecus, and it closely resembles a specimen from Alaska which caddis expert Dave Ruiter recognized as this genus. As with that specimen, the only species in the genus documented in this area is Onocosmoecus unicolor, but Dave suggested for that specimen that there might be multiple not-yet-distinguished species under the unicolor umbrella and it would be best to stick with the genus-level ID. I'm doing the same for this one.
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Caddisfly Species Brachycentrus americanus (American Grannoms)
Where & when
This species is most prolific in the West and Midwest, but it may still be of concern to fishermen in the East.In 80 records from GBIF, adults of this species have mostly been collected during July (31%), August (28%), June (16%), September (13%), and May (9%).
In 109 records from GBIF, this species has been collected at elevations ranging from 3 to 10007 ft, with an average (median) of 6099 ft.
Species Range
Hatching behavior
Special thanks to Lloyd Gonzales, author of the excellent new book Fly-Fishing Pressured Water, for helping to sort out the Brachycentrus species and common names.Specimens of the Caddisfly Species Brachycentrus americanus
1 Female Adult
2 Larvae
This species of Brachycentrus was extremely common in mid-September kick net samples in the Yakima canyon.
Both the genus ID (Merritt & Cummins) and species ID (Flint 1984) are pretty confident for this larva, a nice example of a common western caddisfly. It was by far the most abundant insect in my kicknet sample on this trip, and many of the rocks in the fast riffle where I sampled had dozens of these larvae clinging on.
Discussions of Brachycentrus americanus
Brachycentrus americanus on the Lower Sacramento River California
Posted by Troutguide on Oct 29, 2016
Last reply on Oct 29, 2016 by Troutguide
I believe this is the species found in sometimes very large numbers on the Lower Sacramento River in the Redding area. Ten years ago it was present in such large numbers that fishing a fly on the bottom resulted in frequently hooking one of these caddis still in its case. Along with other aquatic insects their numbers have declined to a fraction of once seen. I don't believe the egg Sac dropped by the females to be olive , instread I have seen it to be a bright green. The females seem to oviposit close to the edge of flowing water and not midstream.
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References
- Gonzales, Lloyd. 2005. Fly-Fishing Pressured Water. Stackpole Books.
- LaFontaine, Gary. 1981. Caddisflies. The Lyons Press.
- Swisher, Doug and Carl Richards. 2000. Selective Trout. The Lyons Press.
Caddisfly Species Brachycentrus americanus (American Grannoms)
Species Range
Common Names
Resources
- NatureServe
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility
- Described by Banks (1899)