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.

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Psychodidae True Fly Larva Psychodidae True Fly Larva

Lateral view of a Psychodidae True Fly Larva from Mystery Creek #308 in Washington

This wild-looking little thing completely puzzled me. At first I was thinking beetle or month larva, until I got a look at the pictures on the computer screen. I made a couple of incorrect guesses before entomologist Greg Courtney pointed me in the right direction with Psychodidae. He suggested a possible genus of Thornburghiella, but could not rule out some other members of the tribe Pericomini.

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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.

Hate to do this again....

Acroneuria abnormis (Golden Stone) Stonefly Nymph

11 Pictures

Perlid stonefly nymph. A stonefly nymph crawls along the river rocks

Artistic view of a Acroneuria abnormis (Perlidae) (Golden Stone) Stonefly Nymph from Paradise Creek in Pennsylvania

Collected May 28, 2007 from Paradise Creek in Pennsylvania

Added by Troutnut on June 4, 2007

Collected May 28, 2007 from Paradise Creek in Pennsylvania and added by Troutnut on June 4, 2007

PeterO
Posts: 8

PeterO on Jun 6, 2007June 6th, 2007, 3:58 am EDT

Jason-

This is actually a specimen of Acroneuria abnormis. Paragnetina species have a complete set of spinules/setae on the occiput, which this guy is lacking. On a semi-related subject, could you forward me the collection data for the Arcynopteryx paralella you got from the Catskills? Thanks a bunch.

GONZO
Site Editor
"Bear Swamp," PA

Posts: 1681

GONZO on Jun 6, 2007June 6th, 2007, 4:15 am EDT

Thanks, Peter. The ID mistake was mine, not Jason's. When he collected this specimen, I took a quick glance at it and assumed it was P. immarginata (which is one of the more common of the highly marked "golden stones" in the Poconos). When I returned to see his close-up pictures, I noticed the difference in the dorsal markings and realized I had made a hasty judgment.

Troutnut

Administrator
Bellevue, WA

Posts: 2758

Troutnut on Jun 6, 2007June 6th, 2007, 4:28 am EDT

Thanks for the correction, Peter. I'll get you that Arcynopteryx info.

Gonzo, I guess I can forgive you... ;) Really, thanks for showing me to that collecting spot! I got the first Cinygmula nymph I've collected, so it was worth it for that, among other things.

Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist

GONZO
Site Editor
"Bear Swamp," PA

Posts: 1681

GONZO on Jun 6, 2007June 6th, 2007, 4:59 am EDT

Jason,

The forgiveness is appreciated, although it also means that we failed to collect a P. immarginata specimen for your site. But, the Cinygmula was a revelation to me as well. And I'm still trying to figure out why we found mature D. lata (cornuta) nymphs two weeks before they normally emerge in that stretch. That little stream was abnormally low and warm, but I'm not sure that accounts for the difference.

Huckleberry
Williamsburg, VA

Posts: 1

Huckleberry on Oct 1, 2010October 1st, 2010, 4:02 am EDT

Hey guys,

I don't see a cercal fringe, even in the closeups. As you know, this is a key characteristic of Acroneuria, sp. Could it be blending in with the white background?

I'm not all that familiar with abnormis. Clue me in.

Thanks.

GONZO
Site Editor
"Bear Swamp," PA

Posts: 1681

GONZO on Oct 1, 2010October 1st, 2010, 8:21 am EDT

Could it be blending in with the white background?

Yes. If you click on the full size view of photo #9, you can make out a fine faint fringe of long hairs along the inside edges of the cerci. In photo #5, the (whitish) fringe along the inside of the right cercus partially obscures part of the hook.

In general appearance, A. abnormis nymphs lack anal gill tufts and tend to have broadly concolorous (dark) tergites and femora instead of the narrower dark abdominal banding and leg bands often found in sympatric species like lycorias or carolinensis. The pale band across the back of the head also tends to be more narrowly linear.