Lateral view of a Female Hexagenia limbata (Ephemeridae) (Hex) Mayfly Dun from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin

Hex Mayflies
Hexagenia limbata

The famous nocturnal Hex hatch of the Midwest (and a few other lucky locations) stirs to the surface mythically large brown trout that only touch streamers for the rest of the year.

My then-girlfriend, now-wife took this picture with my camera.

From Toughannock Creek in New York

Stream photos

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Onocosmoecus (Great Late-Summer Sedge) Caddisfly Larva Onocosmoecus (Great Late-Summer Sedge) Caddisfly Larva

Lateral view of a Onocosmoecus (Limnephilidae) (Great Late-Summer Sedge) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington

This specimen keys pretty easily to Onocosmoecus, and it closely resembles a specimen from Alaska which caddis expert Dave Ruiter recognized as this genus. As with that specimen, the only species in the genus documented in this area is Onocosmoecus unicolor, but Dave suggested for that specimen that there might be multiple not-yet-distinguished species under the unicolor umbrella and it would be best to stick with the genus-level ID. I'm doing the same for this one.

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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.

Two ants together -- same species or different?

Formicidae (Ant) Insect Adult

8 Pictures

I collected this flying ant from the surface of a popular Catskill trout stream, where its species prompted steady rising from selective trout for several late-morning hours. It was mixed with smaller ants of a different color, and I photographed one of them too.

Collected September 4, 2006 from the Neversink River in New York

Added by Troutnut on October 3, 2006

Collected September 4, 2006 from the Neversink River in New York and added by Troutnut on October 3, 2006

Troutnut

Administrator
Bellevue, WA

Posts: 2758

Troutnut on Oct 3, 2006October 3rd, 2006, 4:17 pm EDT

I had a great morning fishing to flying ants in the Catskills on September 5th. At least a few fish were rising steadily in every pool on my selected stretch of the Neversink, and flying ants were abundant in the air and on the water for hours.

There were two types of ants which I collected and photographed this large, rusty-tinted variety and a smaller type. I'm curious: were they two different species, or different-looking males and females of the same species?

Many ants were descending to the water in pairs, presumably mating. I hadn't yet noticed the difference in sizes, so I didn't check to see if each pair had one large and one small ant.

Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist

Troutnut

Administrator
Bellevue, WA

Posts: 2758

Troutnut on Oct 24, 2006October 24th, 2006, 5:59 am EDT

I got a great answer to this question by email from Dr. Greg Paulson, who teaches entomology in the biology department at Shippensburg University. They are two different species:

I haven't had time to come up with a definitive id but those ants are two different species. Winged males and females can be easily differentiated by the size of the head relative to the thorax. When viewed from above a male's head is almost always narrower than the thorax. The head of a female is as wide, or wider, than the thorax.

Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist