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Lateral view of a Female Hexagenia limbata (Ephemeridae) (Hex) Mayfly Dun from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin
Hex Mayflies
Hexagenia limbata

The famous nocturnal Hex hatch of the Midwest (and a few other lucky locations) stirs to the surface mythically large brown trout that only touch streamers for the rest of the year.

Case view of a Pycnopsyche guttifera (Limnephilidae) (Great Autumn Brown Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington
It's only barely visible in one of my pictures, but I confirmed under the microscope that this one has a prosternal horn and the antennae are mid-way between the eyes and front of the head capsule.

I'm calling this one Pycnopsyche, but it's a bit perplexing. It seems to key definitively to at least Couplet 8 of the Key to Genera of Limnephilidae Larvae. That narrows it down to three genera, and the case seems wrong for the other two. The case looks right for Pycnopsyche, and it fits one of the key characteristics: "Abdominal sternum II without chloride epithelium and abdominal segment IX with only single seta on each side of dorsal sclerite." However, the characteristic "metanotal sa1 sclerites not fused, although often contiguous" does not seem to fit well. Those sclerites sure look fused to me, although I can make out a thin groove in the touching halves in the anterior half under the microscope. Perhaps this is a regional variation.

The only species of Pycnopsyche documented in Washington state is Pycnopsyche guttifera, and the colors and markings around the head of this specimen seem to match very well a specimen of that species from Massachusetts on Bugguide. So I am placing it in that species for now.

Whatever species this is, I photographed another specimen of seemingly the same species from the same spot a couple months later.
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.

Cheumatopsyche (Little Sister Sedge) Caddisfly Adult Pictures

Ruler view of a Cheumatopsyche (Hydropsychidae) (Little Sister Sedge) Caddisfly Adult from Mystery Creek #43 in New York The smallest ruler marks are 1 mm.
Lateral view of a Cheumatopsyche (Hydropsychidae) (Little Sister Sedge) Caddisfly Adult from Mystery Creek #43 in New York
Ventral view of a Cheumatopsyche (Hydropsychidae) (Little Sister Sedge) Caddisfly Adult from Mystery Creek #43 in New York
Cheumatopsyche (Hydropsychidae) (Little Sister Sedge) Caddisfly Adult from Mystery Creek #43 in New York
Cheumatopsyche (Hydropsychidae) (Little Sister Sedge) Caddisfly Adult from Mystery Creek #43 in New York
Cheumatopsyche (Hydropsychidae) (Little Sister Sedge) Caddisfly Adult from Mystery Creek #43 in New York
Cheumatopsyche (Hydropsychidae) (Little Sister Sedge) Caddisfly Adult from Mystery Creek #43 in New York
Cheumatopsyche (Hydropsychidae) (Little Sister Sedge) Caddisfly Adult from Mystery Creek #43 in New York
Cheumatopsyche (Hydropsychidae) (Little Sister Sedge) Caddisfly Adult from Mystery Creek #43 in New York

This caddisfly was collected from Mystery Creek #43 in New York on September 19th, 2006 and added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on October 4th, 2006.

Discussions of this Adult

Cheumatopsyche
Posted by Litobrancha on Oct 20, 2006
Last reply on Oct 20, 2006 by Litobrancha
a great thing about cheumatopsyche (which i believe this is) is that the IX segment ventral plates are almost always completely differentiated to the base. hydropsyche medial margins are more indistinct near the base.

also cheumatopsyche almost always lacks F1 in the hind wings, although aberrant specimens are common. the best character is the distance between M and Cu veins in the hind wing, other hydropsychids are parallel and close together, cheumatopsyche diverges a bit.
Looks like Cheumatopsyche
Posted by GONZO on Oct 6, 2006
Last reply on Oct 6, 2006 by GONZO
Really cool pictures, Jason. My first impression was classic Cheumatopsyche (Little Sister Sedge), and I can't find anything to indicate otherwise--size, color, maxillary palp, and wing all seem right on. Wish I could help with the species, but with many caddisflies I'm happy just to get the genus right. :)

It is interesting to note that some books say that the coloring of many Cheumatopsyche species gets lighter as the season progresses. That certainly doesn't seem to be the case here.

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Cheumatopsyche (Little Sister Sedge) Caddisfly Adult Pictures

Collection details
Location: Mystery Creek #43, New York
Date: September 19th, 2006
Added to site: October 4th, 2006
Author: Troutnut
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