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Lateral view of a Male Baetis (Baetidae) (Blue-Winged Olive) Mayfly Dun from Mystery Creek #43 in New York
Blue-winged Olives
Baetis

Tiny Baetis mayflies are perhaps the most commonly encountered and imitated by anglers on all American trout streams due to their great abundance, widespread distribution, and trout-friendly emergence habits.

Artistic view of a Perlodidae (Springflies and Yellow Stones) Stonefly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington
This one seems to lead to Couplet 35 of the Key to Genera of Perlodidae Nymphs and the genus Isoperla, but I'm skeptical that's correct based on the general look. I need to get it under the microscope to review several choices in the key, and it'll probably end up a different Perlodidae.
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.
Troutnut is a project started in 2003 by salmonid ecologist Jason "Troutnut" Neuswanger to help anglers and fly tyers unabashedly embrace the entomological side of the sport. Learn more about Troutnut or support the project for an enhanced experience here.

Mayfly Species Rhithrogena undulata (Small Western Red Quills)

This is one of the two most common species of Rhithrogena.

Where & when

Time of year : Mid-June through August

In 5 records from GBIF, adults of this species have been collected during June (20%), September (20%), April (20%), May (20%), and July (20%).

In 1 record from GBIF, this species has been collected at elevation of 5066 ft.

Species Range

Hatching behavior

Rhithrogena undulata duns escape their nymphal shucks underwater, but instead of emerging on the stream bed like most Rhithrogena species, they wait until they are within inches of the surface.

Swisher and Richards in Selective Trout say the duns are unimportant.

Spinner behavior

Time of day: Dusk

Knopp and Cormier call the spinner falls of Rhithrogena undulata "spectacular," and others mention that they are fishable.

Nymph biology

Current speed: Slow to medium

These nymphs prefer slower water than the others in their genus.

Physical description

Most physical descriptions on Troutnut are direct or slightly edited quotes from the original scientific sources describing or updating the species, although there may be errors in copying them to this website. Such descriptions aren't always definitive, because species often turn out to be more variable than the original describers observed. In some cases, only a single specimen was described! However, they are useful starting points.

Male Spinner

Body length: 7.5 mm
Wing length: 9 mm

A species of the jejuna-undulata group, having no basal lateral spines on penes; tips of penes broad, distinctly outcurved.

Head and thorax dark brown; several yellow spots on pleura. Fore legs brownish; apex of tibia darker. Middle and hind legs pale; dark streaks on femora. Wings hyaline; venation brown. Stigmatic area tinged with smoky; cross veins in this region mostly simple. Abdominal tergites dark brown; lateral margins very narrowly pale. Sternites very pale. Forceps dark brown, tails paler brown. Apices of penes broad, distinctly outcurved; no basal lateral spine, nor small spines near apex (see fig. 102).

Allied to Rhithrogena jejuna and Rhithrogena impersonata. Tips of penes outcurved as in R. jejuna, but not narrowed as in that species; no small apical spines such as occur in R. impersonata.

Specimens of the Mayfly Species Rhithrogena undulata

1 Male Spinner
1 Female Spinner

Start a Discussion of Rhithrogena undulata

References

Mayfly Species Rhithrogena undulata (Small Western Red Quills)

Taxonomy
Species Range
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