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2. Get Bugs Identified
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3. Novice Entomologist here

Seeing some of the great pictures on this website, I wish I had something better than a point-and-shoot to take the pictures I did. That said, I'm not looking for a species identification, but just want to make sure I'm on the right track (Order or Family is good enough for me) of identifying this insect. The only thing I can imagine this being is a hellgrammite, but it still doesn't have all the spines I'd think of with a hellgrammite. (So, if others concur it is a hellgrammite, why does it not have the spines? age? species?)

Other info: it is about 1 inch long, and crawled onto my waders in the Smith River in Virginia.

Thanks.

Howdy - this is indeed a larvae - one of the many free-living Rhyacophila species. Probably one of the R. fuscula group but I cannot see enough of the head/thorax color pattern to be sure about which species.

Look up Rhyacophila in Google images and ... off you go: ID, habitat, habits, fly patterns, etc... . Start by searching this site for a lot of great images and discussion about Rhyacophila or just about anything else you could find clinging to your waders or in a trout's stomach.

BTW: Welcome.

I love this site! Where else can a newbie post an iquiry and have Dave answer it?! Our own favorite caddis bug guy...:) Thanks sir!

Welcome cromero! That is a nice photo from a tyers standpoint...Dave is a pro and, as he said, would need more to id to species for you...Close enough if you ask me...I could see a gold bead head with a light olive/celery colored body...

You can see why the trout find these critters yummy...That is a good bit of protein for a fish.

Anglers...If you are mayfly-opic you are missing the boat...A trout can munch on these all day and never have to visit the dangerous surface and there would be nary a buldge to give him away...Can you spell, "searching fly"? ;)

Those steelheaders already know this...See www.defranksflies.com Check out his Kazulen's Caddis.

Spence

...and then Paul Robert's to boot! :)

Thanks for the quick and courteous replies! I did fall in to the trap of thinking (all) caddisflies built shelters.

Thanks again,
Charles

I believe this specimen is typical of what many fly fisherman refer to as a "green rock worm", and there are many good fly patterns to imitate this group of species. Confirmation from Spence or others? Also, these are net-spinners, no?

Welcome to the forum, Charles! You'll find plenty of "bug-nuts" on this site. (Perhaps it should be called "bugnut.com" instead??...at least the way all of the posts are going as of late - not too many of us are out fly fishing so we gotta do something else...)

;oD

Jonathon

Jonathan,



Net spinners are in superfamily Hydropsychoidae and look more like this:

I thought I was wrong - thanks for correcting me. What do these "green rock worms" eat, are they predacious? Guess I could go look it up in Gary Lafontaine's "Caddisflies", I do have a copy...

Jonathon

Yes...They have a fondness for black fly larvae...Yum! No? :(

Spence

Hi Jonathan-


Yes, primarily. Among the (~126) Rhyacophila species are predators (engulfers), a few scrapers, collecter-gatherers, shreders-herbivors (chewers) per Glen B. Wiggins.