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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.

Case view of a Pycnopsyche guttifera (Limnephilidae) (Great Autumn Brown Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington
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.
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.
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Trtklr
Banned
Michigan

Posts: 115
Trtklr on May 23, 2009May 23rd, 2009, 9:30 am EDT
last year about this time i went to my local river and saw the trout feeding on the surface on small green worms. 1-2mm in diameter and 10-15mm long. i couldnt tell where they were coming from. honestly it looked like i could tie a short piece of bright green ribbing on a hook and catch fish. sorry i don't have a picture but i'm going out this week and i'm hoping to get one. has anyone encountered this?
I have seen nothing more beautiful than the sunrise on a cold stream.
Konchu
Konchu's profile picture
Site Editor
Indiana

Posts: 498
Konchu on May 23, 2009May 23rd, 2009, 12:09 pm EDT
sounds like caterpillars that dropped off of trees. some species go into a wandering phase before they pupate (go into the cocoon phase of their life cycle). I've been seeing black ones lately.
Wbranch
Wbranch's profile picture
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on May 23, 2009May 23rd, 2009, 12:39 pm EDT
Deleted.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.

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