Salmonflies
Pteronarcys californica
The giant Salmonflies of the Western mountains are legendary for their proclivity to elicit consistent dry-fly action and ferocious strikes.
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Mayfly Genus Paraleptophlebia (Blue Quills)
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This is page 1841 of specimens of Paraleptophlebia. Visit the main Paraleptophlebia page for:
- The behavior and habitat of Paraleptophlebia.
- 1 streamside picture of Paraleptophlebia.
Specimens of the Mayfly Genus Paraleptophlebia
5 Male Spinners
I wasn't actually fishing the river where I caught this one. I was just scouting, didn't like the look of the water, and as I was walking back to the car this little dun landed on my vest. Why can't they all be so easy to collect?
This specimen (and a few others I collected but didn't photograph) appear to represent the first finding of Paraleptophlebia sculleni outside the Oregon Cascades, although it is not a monumental leap from there to the Washington Cascades. The key characteristics are fairly clear.
For a species not yet reported in my state, I've been surprised to find these in two different locations lately. I was tempted to think they're the more common Paraleptophlebia debilis, but the characteristic big dorsal bump on the claspers just isn't present.
Near P. memorialis.
4 Female Spinners
This female is probably P. heteronea or P. memorialis since these are the two species collected during the last two weeks. It is interesting that the females are this very dark brown color while the males are lighter in color.
7 Female Duns
I really hoped to catch some good blue quill specimens on this trip, but they are very fragile mayflies and this one was in the best condition of the few that I caught after I drove them home to my camera. It may not be pretty, but you get an idea of the size/shape/color anyway.
I hadn't seen an intact adult mayfly to catch all day, when suddenly I saw this Paraleptophlebia dun flying six inches in front of my face and nabbed it with my hand without even thinking. It has some sort of bright debris on it that probably comes from placing it in a transport container that hadn't been cleaned recently enough.
Size: 9mm. These photos really highlight the brown pigmentation of the wing venation, but in the hand the wings look to be a uniform smokey gray. - Entoman
3 Male Duns
You wonder sometimes how certain insects get their common names. This one is called the 'mahogany dun' for some unknown reason.
10 Nymphs
This one is missing several gills due to capture damage.
This species is interesting because it is common in lakes as well as streams. It is one of the last species of the year to emerge in western Montana. Adults have been collected as late as October 15 weather permitting.
1 Female Adult
This female exhibits the dark chocolate color so common in this genus.
References
- Arbona, Fred Jr. 1989. Mayflies, the Angler, and the Trout. Nick Lyons Books.
- Caucci, Al and Nastasi, Bob. 2004. Hatches II. The Lyons Press.
- Fauceglia, Ted. 2005. Mayflies . Stackpole Books.
- Knopp, Malcolm and Robert Cormier. 1997. Mayflies: An Angler's Study of Trout Water Ephemeroptera . The Lyons Press.
- Leonard, Justin W. and Fannie A. Leonard. 1962. Mayflies of Michigan Trout Streams. Cranbrook Institute of Science.
- Swisher, Doug and Carl Richards. 2000. Selective Trout. The Lyons Press.
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Animalia (Animals)
» Phylum
Arthropoda (Arthropods)
» Class
Insecta (Insects)
» Order
Ephemeroptera (Mayflies)
» Genus Paraleptophlebia (Blue Quills)
20 species (Paraleptophlebia altana, Paraleptophlebia aquilina, Paraleptophlebia associata, Paraleptophlebia brunneipennis, Paraleptophlebia cachea, Paraleptophlebia calcarica, Paraleptophlebia californica, Paraleptophlebia clara, Paraleptophlebia georgiana, Paraleptophlebia jeanae, Paraleptophlebia jenseni, Paraleptophlebia kirchneri, Paraleptophlebia moerens, Paraleptophlebia ontario, Paraleptophlebia placeri, Paraleptophlebia quisquilia, Paraleptophlebia rufivenosa, Paraleptophlebia sticta, Paraleptophlebia traverae, and Paraleptophlebia volitans) aren't included.