Salmonflies
Pteronarcys californica
The giant Salmonflies of the Western mountains are legendary for their proclivity to elicit consistent dry-fly action and ferocious strikes.
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Nymphs of this species were fairly common in late-winter kick net samples from the upper Yakima River. Although I could not find a key to species of Zapada nymphs, a revision of the Nemouridae family by Baumann (1975) includes the following helpful sentence: "2 cervical gills on each side of midline, 1 arising inside and 1 outside of lateral cervical sclerites, usually single and elongate, sometimes constricted but with 3 or 4 branches arising beyond gill base in Zapada cinctipes." This specimen clearly has the branches and is within the range of that species.
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Identification: Key to Species of Caudatella Nymphs, Couplet 2
Identification: Key to Species of Caudatella Nymphs, Couplet 2
Adapted from Jacobus 2010 (2010)
| Option 1 | Option 2 |
|---|---|
| Paired medial spines on abdominal terga long and curved (at least on middle segments), some almost hook like | Paired medial spines on abdominal terga relatively straight, none longer than respective segment |
| Remaining species: Caudatella columbiella, Caudatella heterocaudata, and Caudatella jacobi | |
1 Example Specimen
This is a widely distributed species in western Montana but never abundant. Note the length of the middle tail, a key to the identification of this genus.
| |
| Caudatella hystrix | Go to Couplet 3 |
Adapted from Jacobus 2010 (2010)
The current couplet is highlighted with darker colors and a icon, and couplets leading to this point have a icon.
Leads to Caudatella edmundsi:
- Maxillary palp vestigial; tarsal claw with two prominent rows of denticles
Leads to Couplet 2:
- Maxillary palp with three distinct segments; tarsal claw with only one distinct row of denticles
Couplet 2
Couplet 2 (You are here)
Leads to Caudatella hystrix:
- Paired medial spines on abdominal terga long and curved (at least on middle segments), some almost hook like
Leads to Couplet 3:
- Paired medial spines on abdominal terga relatively straight, none longer than respective segment
Couplet 3
Leads to Caudatella jacobi:
- Cerci approximately two thirds length of median filament
- Abdominal sterna with solid color, never with longitudinal stripes or other such markings
Leads to Couplet 4:
- Cerci less than one-half length of median filament
- Abdominal sterna almost always with three dark, longitudinal markings
Couplet 4
Leads to Caudatella heterocaudata:
- Cerci approximately one-third length of median filament (about the length of the abdomen)
- Distinct pair of medial spines present only on abdominal terga 2–9, with the spine tips blunt
Leads to Caudatella columbiella:
- Cerci approximately one-sixth length of median filament (about half the length of the abdomen)
- Distinct pair of medial spines present on abdominal terga 1–9, with the spine tips sharp
Start a Discussion of this Couplet
References
- Baumann, Richard W. 1975. Revision of the Stonefly Family Nemouridae (plecoptera) : a Study Of The World Fauna At The Generic Level. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology undef(211): 1-74.
- Jacobus, Luke M. 2010. Taxonomic Review of the Caudatella heterocaudata (McDunnough) and C. hystrix (Traver) Complexes (Insecta: Ephemeroptera: Ephemerellidae). Psyche: A Journal of Entomology 2010: 1-5.