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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.

Dorsal view of a Zapada cinctipes (Nemouridae) (Tiny Winter Black) Stonefly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington
Nymphs of this species were fairly common in late-winter kick net samples from the upper Yakima River. Although I could not find a key to species of Zapada nymphs, a revision of the Nemouridae family by Baumann (1975) includes the following helpful sentence: "2 cervical gills on each side of midline, 1 arising inside and 1 outside of lateral cervical sclerites, usually single and elongate, sometimes constricted but with 3 or 4 branches arising beyond gill base in Zapada cinctipes." This specimen clearly has the branches and is within the range of that species.
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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Mayfly Species Paraleptophlebia californica

Species Range

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: 8 mm
Wing length: 8 mm

A rather pale reddish brown species.

Head reddish brown; median carina and bases of antennae yellow. An oblique black line on each side of the face. Thorax reddish; mesonotum bright reddish brown. Mid-dorsal line of prothorax black; posterior margin white. Sternum and pleural sutures yellow with reddish brown marginings. Legs pale yellowish white; femora tinged with yellow. Wings hyaline. Longitudinal veins of the costal border yellowish; all others pale, except at extreme base, which are yellow. Stigmatic cross veins simple, curved, a few forked near the costal margin.

Segment 1 of abdomen largely opaque; 2-7 semi-hyaline; pale yellowish brown with smoky markings. Tergites 6 and 7, and segments 8-10, opaque reddish brown. Posterior margins of all segments smoky brown, this band darkest in the postero-lateral angles. Two oblique streaks on each side of each tergite, from the antero-lateral and postero-lateral angles. Mid-dorsal line pale, bordered by purplish submedian streaks. A dark line on the pleural fold.

Genitalia golden brown; tips of penes purplish brown. Forceps widened gradually toward the base. Penes separated by a rounded notch, into which projects a short blunt process from each division of the penes. Reflexed spur widest at base, its tip acute (see fig. 134). Tails pale smoky, darker at base.


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References

Mayfly Species Paraleptophlebia californica

Species Range
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