Artistic view of a Male Pteronarcys californica (Pteronarcyidae) (Giant Salmonfly) Stonefly Adult from the Gallatin River in Montana

Salmonflies
Pteronarcys californica

The giant Salmonflies of the Western mountains are legendary for their proclivity to elicit consistent dry-fly action and ferocious strikes.

I like this one. Glacial river, taiga, tundra, and the perpetual ice cover of a massive high ridge dozens of miles away in the Wrangell Mountains.

From the Copper River in Alaska

Stream photos

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Perlodidae (Springflies and Yellow Stones) Stonefly Nymph Perlodidae (Springflies and Yellow Stones) Stonefly Nymph

Artistic view of a Perlodidae (Springflies and Yellow Stones) Stonefly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington

This one seems to lead to Couplet 35 of the Key to Genera of Perlodidae Nymphs and the genus Isoperla, but I'm skeptical that's correct based on the general look. I need to get it under the microscope to review several choices in the key, and it'll probably end up a different Perlodidae.

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.

Chloroperlidae

Isoperla (Stripetails and Yellow Stones) Stonefly Adult

10 Pictures

Lateral view of a Isoperla (Perlodidae) (Stripetails and Yellow Stones) Stonefly Adult from Cayuta Creek in New York

Several stoneflies of this species were flying around a small stream last night. I tied on a brown drake imitation of about the right size/color to approximate these stones, and was rewarded with a hard-fighting 17-inch brown trout.

Collected July 6, 2006 from Cayuta Creek in New York

Added by Troutnut on July 8, 2006

Collected July 6, 2006 from Cayuta Creek in New York and added by Troutnut on July 8, 2006

Teamrenna
Posts: 2

Teamrenna on Jun 12, 2008June 12th, 2008, 8:19 am EDT

Edit: Post removed

GONZO
Site Editor
"Bear Swamp," PA

Posts: 1681

GONZO on Jun 12, 2008June 12th, 2008, 3:25 pm EDT

Teamrenna,

Your comments confused me at first, until I realized that your perspective seems to be from a different part of the world. Neither Siphonoperla burmeisteri nor Xanthoperla apicalis is found in North America. (This specimen was collected from a small stream in New York, USA.)

...all Isoperla species are much bigger....

Perhaps that is true where you live, but some North American Isoperla are well within the size range indicated by the photo (+/-14mm from head to wingtips). As best I can sort it out, everything appears to be consistent with a perlodid ID. What structures do you see that suggest Chloroperlidae?

Teamrenna
Posts: 2

Teamrenna on Sep 4, 2008September 4th, 2008, 9:00 am EDT

My bad Gonzo. I concluded to fast. Its of course a female Isoperla. I must have been blind or something when i posted my first comment.
Pay attention to the slight notch in this specimens subgenital plate (posterior, as seen in one of the pohots. What does your taxonomic keys say?
In my region (Norway),adult isoperla (grammatica, obscura and difformis) females can be separated by this feature.
This specimen has a difformis-like subgenital plate by the way.

GONZO
Site Editor
"Bear Swamp," PA

Posts: 1681

GONZO on Sep 9, 2008September 9th, 2008, 9:32 am EDT

My bad Gonzo.

Not a problem, Teamrenna. I always enjoy hearing from fly fishers and aquatic insect enthusiasts from other parts of the world. (And I dream of visiting your stunningly beautiful country some day!)

What does your taxonomic keys say?

I wish it were that easy. Unfortunately, if a comprehensive species-level key to all stages/sexes of North American Isoperla exists, I'm not aware of it. Many of the existing keys are either out of date or lead to a statement that says that females must be associated with males for identification. Part of the problem is that we have nearly 60 North American species assigned to this genus, and some adults are described mostly by distinctions in male genitalia. There are about 19 Isoperla species in my home state of Pennsylvania, with a few unnamed as yet.

In general appearance, this specimen looks much like Isoperla cotta. However, given the number of similar-looking species and the degree of variation among them, I still wouldn't hazard a guess about the species. Incomplete distribution records further compound our identification problems. For example, Isoperla cotta is not listed in the distribution records that I have seen for New York State, but I know that specimens identified and photographed by Dr. Whitney Cranshaw were collected there.

Best,
Lloyd (Gonzo)