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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I was not fishing, but happened to be at an unrelated social event on a hill above this tiny creek (which I never even saw) when this stonefly flew by me. I assume it came from there. Some key characteristics are tricky to follow, but process of elimination ultimately led me to Sweltsa borealis. It is reassuringly similar to this specimen posted by Bob Newell years ago. It is also so strikingly similar to this nymph from the same river system that I'm comfortable identifying that nymph from this adult. I was especially pleased with the closeup photo of four mites parasitizing this one.
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Caddisfly Genus Hesperophylax (Silver Striped Sedges)
These are very large caddisflies, up to 1.3 inches long as adults.
Where & when
Time of year : Emergence in summer, egg-laying in fall
In 248 records from GBIF, adults of this genus have mostly been collected during July (23%), August (21%), June (18%), September (13%), May (12%), and October (6%).
In 139 records from GBIF, this genus has been collected at elevations ranging from 3 to 31496 ft, with an average (median) of 6289 ft.
Genus Range
Hesperophylax Fly Fishing Tips
LaFontaine notes in Caddisflies that the adults are worth imitating, and they make a good searching pattern, but he does not give specifics about their behavior.Specimens of the Caddisfly Genus Hesperophylax
1 Female Adult
1 Larva
Based on both range maps and key characteristics, this larva is either Hesperophylax designatus, Hesperophylax alaskensis, or Hesperophylax occidentalis. However, the species key in Parker & Wiggins (1985) cannot separate these species as larvae.
Start a Discussion of Hesperophylax
References
- LaFontaine, Gary. 1981. Caddisflies. The Lyons Press.
- Parker, C. R., Wiggins, G. B. 1985. The Nearctic Caddisfly Genus Hesperophylax Banks (trichoptera: Limnephilidae). Canadian Journal of Zoology 63(10): 2443-2472.
- Swisher, Doug and Carl Richards. 2000. Selective Trout. The Lyons Press.
Caddisfly Genus Hesperophylax (Silver Striped Sedges)
Taxonomy
Species in Hesperophylax
Hesperophylax designatus
1
1
Species in Hesperophylax: Hesperophylax designatus
5 species (Hesperophylax alaskensis, Hesperophylax consimilis, Hesperophylax magnus, Hesperophylax minutus, and Hesperophylax occidentalis) aren't included.