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.

Stream photos

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Hydropsyche (Spotted Sedge) Caddisfly Larva Hydropsyche (Spotted Sedge) Caddisfly Larva

Ventral view of a Hydropsyche (Hydropsychidae) (Spotted Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington

With a bit of help from the microscope, this specimen keys clearly and unsurprisingly to Hydropsyche.

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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.

Female Hydatophylax argus (Giant Cream Pattern-Wing Sedge) Caddisfly Adult Pictures

I had some trouble working through the genus key for this one because I'm not great at interpreting caddis wing venation. Fortunately, figure 19.707 in An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America (Fifth Edition) shows the distinctive color pattern of the striking forewings on Hydatophylax argus, which is a perfect match for the pattern as well as venation. As there are no other species in that genus in this area, I can be pretty confident in the species ID.

Female Hydatophylax argus (Limnephilidae) (Giant Cream Pattern-Wing Sedge) Caddisfly Adult from the Teal River in Wisconsin

Ruler view of a Female Hydatophylax argus (Limnephilidae) (Giant Cream Pattern-Wing Sedge) Caddisfly Adult from the Teal River in Wisconsin The smallest ruler marks are 1 mm.

Lateral view of a Female Hydatophylax argus (Limnephilidae) (Giant Cream Pattern-Wing Sedge) Caddisfly Adult from the Teal River in Wisconsin

Ventral view of a Female Hydatophylax argus (Limnephilidae) (Giant Cream Pattern-Wing Sedge) Caddisfly Adult from the Teal River in Wisconsin

Artistic view of a Female Hydatophylax argus (Limnephilidae) (Giant Cream Pattern-Wing Sedge) Caddisfly Adult from the Teal River in Wisconsin

Dorsal view of a Female Hydatophylax argus (Limnephilidae) (Giant Cream Pattern-Wing Sedge) Caddisfly Adult from the Teal River in Wisconsin

This caddisfly was collected from the Teal River in Wisconsin on June 11th, 2021 and added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on June 12th, 2021.

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References

Merritt R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B. 2019. An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America (Fifth Edition). Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.