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.

The trees were leafing out and the trout were rising on this productive Wisconsin stream

From the Namekagon River in Wisconsin

Stream photos

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Ephemerella mucronata Mayfly Nymph Ephemerella mucronata Mayfly Nymph

Dorsal view of a Ephemerella mucronata (Ephemerellidae) Mayfly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington

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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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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Caddisfly Genus Frenesia (Dot Wing Winter Sedges)

Where & when

Time of year : Late September through February, peaking in November or December

In 73 records from GBIF, adults of this genus have mostly been collected during October (30%), November (21%), September (14%), August (10%), July (8%), June (7%), and May (5%).

In 4 records from GBIF, this genus has been collected at elevations of 164, 299, 1100, and 3609 ft.

Genus Range

source

Map of specific collection sites

Hatching behavior

Time of day : Late morning or afternoon

Pupae emerge from the shallows on warm days, and are the most important stage of this species. They can be very important because few other insects are around at the same time of year.

Egg-Laying behavior

The egg-laying females are not known to be important.

Larva & pupa biology

Diet: Decaying plant matter

Environmental tolerance: Prefers cold water

Start a Discussion of Frenesia

References

Allen RK. 1977. New species of Ephemerella (Ephemerella) from Alberta (Ephemeroptera: Ephemerellidae). The Pan-Pacific Entomologist 53: 286-286.
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.
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.
Swisher, Doug and Carl Richards. 2000. Selective Trout. The Lyons Press.