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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.

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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Taenionema (Willowfly) Stonefly Nymph Pictures

This specimen was the only one of its kind in my kick net sample from this small creek. At first I thought it was Nemouridae, but it's not. Unfortunately, there is no species key available for Taenionema nymphs. Potential species found in Washington include nigripenne, oregonense, pacificum, and pallidum.

Taenionema (Taeniopterygidae) (Willowfly) Stonefly Nymph from Holder Creek in Washington
Taenionema (Taeniopterygidae) (Willowfly) Stonefly Nymph from Holder Creek in Washington
Taenionema (Taeniopterygidae) (Willowfly) Stonefly Nymph from Holder Creek in Washington
Dorsal view of a Taenionema (Taeniopterygidae) (Willowfly) Stonefly Nymph from Holder Creek in Washington
Taenionema (Taeniopterygidae) (Willowfly) Stonefly Nymph from Holder Creek in Washington
The second tarsal segment here is a bit longer than the first rather than much shorter, which distinguishes this specimen as Taeniopterygidae instead of Nemouridae.

Taenionema (Taeniopterygidae) (Willowfly) Stonefly Nymph from Holder Creek in Washington
Ventral view of a Taenionema (Taeniopterygidae) (Willowfly) Stonefly Nymph from Holder Creek in Washington
Ruler view of a Taenionema (Taeniopterygidae) (Willowfly) Stonefly Nymph from Holder Creek in Washington The smallest ruler marks are 1 mm.
Hind tarsus. The second segment is longer than the first, ruling out the most obvious guess at this one's family (Nemouridae) and pointing instead to the correct ID of Taeniopterygidae.

Taenionema (Taeniopterygidae) (Willowfly) Stonefly Nymph from Holder Creek in Washington
Ventral shieldlike plate on the tip of the abdomen, a key identifying characteristic.

Taenionema (Taeniopterygidae) (Willowfly) Stonefly Nymph from Holder Creek in Washington
Dorsal view of the basal cercal segments, lacking the silky setae that would have pointed to a different genus.

Taenionema (Taeniopterygidae) (Willowfly) Stonefly Nymph from Holder Creek in Washington

This stonefly was collected from Holder Creek in Washington on April 12th, 2021 and added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on April 13th, 2021.


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Taenionema (Willowfly) Stonefly Nymph Pictures

Collection details
Location: Holder Creek, Washington
Date: April 12th, 2021
Added to site: April 13th, 2021
Author: Troutnut
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