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.
Option 1 | Option 2 |
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Occiput or anterolateral prothoracic margins or both with a row of short stout setae | Occiput and anterolateral prothoracic margins without rows of short, stout setae (a few long setae may be present) |
Remaining genera: Baumannella, Chernokrilus, Clioperla, Diura, and Isoperla | Remaining genera: Cultus and Diploperla |
5 Example Specimens | 1 Example SpecimenThis specimen keys pretty well to Cultus. Key characteristics observed under the microscope but not necessarily apparent on my photo are the lack of submental gills (or any gills at all), the lack of short, stout setae on the occiput or anterolateral prothoracic margins, and the lack of a low knob below the subapical tooth on the lacinia. Species known to be found in Washington are Cultus pilatus and Cultus tostonus. It clearly does not fit the description by Frison (1942) of Diploperla pilata, as Cultus pilatus was first named. I cannot find a detailed description of the nymph of tostonus, but Ricker 1952 describes a defining character of the adults, "Head mostly yellow, the only important dark marking being the bands which join the anterior to the lateral ocelli ; median pronotal stripe, at its middle, about one-fifth of the width of the pronotum." The nymph shows a very dark pattern fitting that description on the head (likely retained into adulthood) and the pronotal stripe is about the right width, too. Given that visual description, the range, and the poor fit to pilatus, I'm calling this Cultus tostonus.
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