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3. Need help Identifying Mayfly?

Yesterday (10 Mar 07)I was fishing Passage Creek which is between Front Royal and Strasburg, VA. Around 2:00 PM I picked up a fly that was splashing on the water surface. To me it looked like a Mayfly except it was black and large. Approx. length 1 1/4 inch of body, wing ht.the same, tail about the same. The tail was white, the body was dull coal black, the abdomn had very small white dots around it like ribbing. The wings were upright, very black and shaped like a mayfly. I did not get a good look at the head as it flew away when I was tried to get out the camera. Please let me know what it was. Thank you.

Wow, that doesn't describe any mayfly I know. Maybe it's some strange southeastern species of Leptophlebia. It seems more likely it was something other than a mayfly, unless you're absolutely positive that's what it was.

Were the wings solid black, or did they have speckles or pale areas?

Troutnut,

I am almost sure that it is a Mayfly by the upright, rounded top wings.

Konchu,

The wings were like a lace with areas that let light thru, making them light almost transparent.

Hope this helps.

Thanks.

Positive it wasn't a damselfly?

Normally I wouldn't ask, but they do sometimes hold their rounded wings upright, and it just seems so strange that a mayfly of that size would be around right now.

JC-

Upright wings and tails of body length would seem to indicate mayfly. Sure can’t think of anything else that description fits. However, a body length of 1.25 inches (~31 mm) would eliminate all but several genera of mayflies, namely Hexagenia and Litobrancha, neither of which would have white tails.

The thing that bothers me about your description is that you refer to tail, as if it only had one. Perhaps you were mistaking a long ovipositor for a tail, which would point one in a whole different identification direction. What do you think?

Roger,

It definatly was not the ovipositor as there were two of them.

Next time I will be ready with a camera and then we can discuss this fly further.

Thanks for all of the help.

While the possibility remains that this report could be of a creature from an entirely different order, if it's Ephemeroptan I believe it's a member of the family Uberspoofidae. There are currently four common genera, each represented by a single species:

Cannibus deleriosa
Spiritus imbiba
Ento imaginea vividus
Femurosa pullis

Determinations are usually hard to pin down by discriptions alone as this family exhibits substantial variability and illusiveness. To date, I'm not aware of any retained specimens or photographs of Uberspoofids. The only way to know for sure is by direct observation of the specimen. Lacking one (which is always the case), observation of the collector at time of forum posting will usually suffice. The real difficulty is the reporter is usually never heard from again (which raises the possibility that Uberspoofids are carnivorous). If I were to hazard a guess I would go with F. pullis

Regards,

Kurt

Kurt, I have no experience with deleriosa, though there are a couple of other varieties that are quite interesting...I'm actually examining a Spiritus imbiba right now, I think it's variety sherrius, kind of a reddish-bronze color. Have you ever run into Lucius intheskiwith variety diamondii? It's very colorful...If I'm not mistaken it's in the family Psychedelidae, which also includes Psilocybius laffmyassofficus.

Jonathon

Oh, for shame! Now we make jokes based on a subject as serious as taxonomy? How could one stoop so low?

Sorry, couldn't help myself. An encounter with S. imbiba made me do it! :-)

That old S. imbiba will get ya every time...

BTW Taxon, when are you gonna mature and emerge? Shouldn't we be seeing an ADULT caddis face on here sometime this summer, hmmmm???

Jonathon

P.S. JC, my apologies for hijacking your thread.

Think the Statute of Limitations long ran out on hijacking this particular thread, Jonathon.:)

You mean we're safe? Well then...your turn Kurt!

JMD