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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This specimen appears to be of the same species as this one collected in the same spot two months earlier. The identification of both is tentative. This one suffered some physical damage before being photographed, too, so the colors aren't totally natural. I was mostly photographing it to test out some new camera setting idea, which worked really well for a couple of closeups.
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I collected this uncooperative specimen as part of a small cloud of female spinners clustered tightly together high about 10 feet above the water, without any males that I could see.
Troutnut on Jul 3, 2006July 3rd, 2006, 9:24 am EDT
I found her in a small cloud of females about ten feet above the water on June 21st. At the time I assumed she was an Isonychia bicolor spinner, because of the size, the stripe down the back, and the fact that she was flying near my favorite Isonychia pool at the right time of year. The hind wings are quite large, too.
But something just doesn't look right. The front legs should not be so light-colored, and the body proportions, while generally in the ballpark, just don't look quite right. I might even guess that this is some large Ephemerellid.
I apologize for the low quality of the pictures. They were taken at the worst time in my photography development: after my Canon 20D's sensor had accumulated significant dust, but before I learned how to clean it.
But something just doesn't look right. The front legs should not be so light-colored, and the body proportions, while generally in the ballpark, just don't look quite right. I might even guess that this is some large Ephemerellid.
I apologize for the low quality of the pictures. They were taken at the worst time in my photography development: after my Canon 20D's sensor had accumulated significant dust, but before I learned how to clean it.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
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