Blue-winged Olives
Baetis
Tiny Baetis mayflies are perhaps the most commonly encountered and imitated by anglers on all American trout streams due to their great abundance, widespread distribution, and trout-friendly emergence habits.
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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.
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.
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Jmd123 on Nov 20, 2020November 20th, 2020, 3:32 am EST
Well...my boss looked at that scope, and not only was it on sale for half price, there was an additional 15% off for Veteran's Day! I can now take really nice photos of all of these bugs I am working on! Here's a few for your enjoyment. A full post is coming on this project soon, just too busy with the work right now to pick out all the pics & etc.
Jonathon
Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Red_green_h on Nov 20, 2020November 20th, 2020, 5:28 am EST
Well I'd hate to meet some of those in a dark alley. Those are great pics. My son would love that.
Partsman on Nov 20, 2020November 20th, 2020, 5:34 am EST
Cool, mother nature is pretty neat.
Mike.
Mike.
Troutnut on Nov 20, 2020November 20th, 2020, 7:25 am EST
Awesome Jonathon!
I also talked my wife into getting me this ringlight as an early Christmas present:
https://www.amscope.com/accessories/illuminator/ring-lights/144-led-lighting-direction-adjustable-microscope-ring-light-with-adapter.html
The overhead light built into the scope was a bit faint for some of the things I wanted to do, and at first I was using my fly tying light as an external source, but the ringlight is way nicer. Very bright uniform light up close above the subject. It does make manipulating specimens a bit trickier when using the 2X objective lens adapter though, just because the working distance is so short, but on balance I think it's very much worth it.
My only problem with the scope right now is that I've already identified all my preserved backlogged bugs as well as I can given my taxonomic resources and abilities, so I have to wait until spring to do much more with it.
I also talked my wife into getting me this ringlight as an early Christmas present:
https://www.amscope.com/accessories/illuminator/ring-lights/144-led-lighting-direction-adjustable-microscope-ring-light-with-adapter.html
The overhead light built into the scope was a bit faint for some of the things I wanted to do, and at first I was using my fly tying light as an external source, but the ringlight is way nicer. Very bright uniform light up close above the subject. It does make manipulating specimens a bit trickier when using the 2X objective lens adapter though, just because the working distance is so short, but on balance I think it's very much worth it.
My only problem with the scope right now is that I've already identified all my preserved backlogged bugs as well as I can given my taxonomic resources and abilities, so I have to wait until spring to do much more with it.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Jmd123 on Nov 23, 2020November 23rd, 2020, 1:32 am EST
I have a Unitron ring illuminator for my B&L StereoZoom scope at home, and it's currently on my Meiji Techno here at work because the danged halogen bulb burned out a month after I replaced it! Ring lights are the best, and this Unitron has some nice bells and whistles on it:
https://microscopecentral.com/products/bausch-lomb-stereozoom-ring-light
I love optics and the things you can see & photograph through them!
Jonathon
https://microscopecentral.com/products/bausch-lomb-stereozoom-ring-light
I love optics and the things you can see & photograph through them!
Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Creno on Dec 1, 2020December 1st, 2020, 8:02 am EST
Folks - sorry I have been off for awhile, and not sure how often I will get back. If you are going to buy lights for miscrope photos, and general work, try to get a single head COB led with a flexible neck. Ikea sold some really great ones but no more. You could often get for 10 bucks. They must be out there somewhere yet. Now Ikea carries this.
It looks like it has a hard stem rather than flexible to the base. and the head looks larger in diameter than the old one. I don't know if it is as bright.
I think this is the old one.
be sure to get the 115V. not USB powered.
While the ring lights are good for many tasks, like Jason says, they won't get close enough at the higher magnifications, and they will leave a halo around many images you may not like. The small COB lights will fit even when your working distances get down to a cm or less.
one other item if you are buying scopes for macro/micro photo. Try and get one with with course and fine focus. The fine focus will make photograpy much easier, especially when you start stacking images.
creno
It looks like it has a hard stem rather than flexible to the base. and the head looks larger in diameter than the old one. I don't know if it is as bright.
I think this is the old one.
be sure to get the 115V. not USB powered.
While the ring lights are good for many tasks, like Jason says, they won't get close enough at the higher magnifications, and they will leave a halo around many images you may not like. The small COB lights will fit even when your working distances get down to a cm or less.
one other item if you are buying scopes for macro/micro photo. Try and get one with with course and fine focus. The fine focus will make photograpy much easier, especially when you start stacking images.
creno
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