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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 Ephemerella mucronata (Ephemerellidae) Mayfly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington
This is an interesting one. Following the keys in Merritt R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B. (2019) and Jacobus et al. (2014), it keys clearly to Ephemerella. Jacobus et al provide a key to species, but some of the characteristics are tricky to interpret without illustrations. If I didn't make any mistakes, this one keys to Ephemerella mucronata, which has not previously been reported any closer to here than Montana and Alberta. The main character seems to fit well: "Abdominal terga with prominent, paired, subparallel, spiculate ridges." Several illustrations or descriptions of this holarctic species from the US and Europe seem to match, including the body length, tarsal claws and denticles, labial palp, and gill shapes. These sources include including Richard Allen's original description of this species in North America under the now-defunct name E. moffatae in Allen RK (1977) and the figures in this description of the species in Italy.
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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Drunella coloradensis (Small Western Green Drake) Mayfly Nymph Pictures

This one nicely illustrates the variation in coloration within an single Ephemerellid species in a single stream, when compared to its darker, more uniform counterpart.

Dorsal view of a Drunella coloradensis (Ephemerellidae) (Small Western Green Drake) Mayfly Nymph from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington
Drunella coloradensis (Ephemerellidae) (Small Western Green Drake) Mayfly Nymph from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington
Ventral view of a Drunella coloradensis (Ephemerellidae) (Small Western Green Drake) Mayfly Nymph from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington
Ruler view of a Drunella coloradensis (Ephemerellidae) (Small Western Green Drake) Mayfly Nymph from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington The smallest ruler marks are 1 mm.

This mayfly was collected from Mystery Creek #249 in Washington on July 25th, 2019 and added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on July 26th, 2019.


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Drunella coloradensis (Small Western Green Drake) Mayfly Nymph Pictures

Collection details
Location: Mystery Creek #249, Washington
Date: July 25th, 2019
Added to site: July 26th, 2019
Author: Troutnut
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