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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.

Lateral view of a Onocosmoecus (Limnephilidae) (Great Late-Summer Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington
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.
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 Species Nyctiophylax moestus (Dinky Light Summer Sedges)

These small caddisflies hatch in such numbers that they can be very important. On page 303 of Caddisflies, Gary LaFontaine tells the story of an experience with this hatch which convinced him and a friend that the conventional "bubble" tie of his sparkle pupa pattern is more effective than the quicker, abbreviated version.

Where & when

Time of year : June

In 60 records from GBIF, adults of this species have been collected during June (45%), July (32%), August (15%), and May (8%).

In 12 records from GBIF, this species has been collected at elevations ranging from 348 to 2625 ft, with an average (median) of 715 ft.

Species Range

Larva & pupa biology

Current speed: Any, but best in slow streams


Start a Discussion of Nyctiophylax moestus

References

  • LaFontaine, Gary. 1981. Caddisflies. The Lyons Press.

Caddisfly Species Nyctiophylax moestus (Dinky Light Summer Sedges)

Taxonomy
Species Range
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