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.

Stream photos

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Glossosoma (Little Brown Short-horned Sedge) Caddisfly Larva Glossosoma (Little Brown Short-horned Sedge) Caddisfly Larva

Dorsal view of a Glossosoma (Glossosomatidae) (Little Brown Short-horned Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington

I caught this tiny larva without a case, but it seems to key pretty clearly to to Glossosomatidae. From there, the lack of sclerites on the mesonotum points to either Glossosoma or Anagapetus. Although it's difficult to see in a 2D image from the microscope, it's pretty clear in the live 3D view that the pronotum is only excised about 1/3 of its length to accommodate the forecoxa, not 2/3, which points to Glossosoma at Couplet 5 of the Key to Genera of Glossosomatidae Larvae.

11 Recently Added Photos

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.

Male Agnetina capitata (Golden Stone) Stonefly Adult Pictures

This stonefly emerged in my aquarium, and unfortunately I severely damaged its wings just trying to catch it. It's still an interesting specimen, especially since I was able to also photograph the nymphal shuck it emerged from. I was surprised by just how light it was shortly after emerging. I photographed it a couple days later when it had darkened considerably; it was a pale, almost pastel yellow at first.

Male Agnetina capitata (Perlidae) (Golden Stone) Stonefly Adult from Aquarium in New York

Lateral view of a Male Agnetina capitata (Perlidae) (Golden Stone) Stonefly Adult from Aquarium in New York

I forgot to photograph it on the ruler, so I did it a couple days later, but the fly had died and shriveled a little bit by then.

Ruler view of a Male Agnetina capitata (Perlidae) (Golden Stone) Stonefly Adult from Aquarium in New York The smallest ruler marks are 1 mm.

This stonefly was collected from Aquarium in New York on May 1st, 2007 and added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on May 3rd, 2007.

Discussions of this Adult

Agnetina capitata

6 replies

Posted by DOS on Mar 28, 2009

Last reply on Mar 29, 2009 by GONZO

I had plans to meet a few friends tonight at a local sports bar to watch the UFC fights, but as I got out of the shower, I found that a industrious capitata had hatched in my aquarium and managed to escape its mesh canopy and was mockingly buzzing the lights in my steamy bathroom. Well, several hours later and a six pack of Saranac Black and Tan, I'm still at home and have a question. On page 37 of Schwibert's Nymphs Volume II, he diagnoses the adult at 28mm. My specimen falls more than 10mm short. Is it possible I have misidentified this specimen or is it a simple case of size variation?