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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This one was surprisingly straightforward to identify. The lack of a sclerite at the base of the lateral hump narrows the field quite a bit, and the other options followed fairly obvious characteristics to Clostoeca, which only has one species, Clostoeca disjuncta.
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DayTripper has attached these 4 pictures to aid in identification. The message is below.
DayTripper on May 10, 2013May 10th, 2013, 5:38 pm EDT
The subimago is a male, unfortunately I lost my ruler before I could get a measurement on him. Aren't clear rulers great?! It was collected on 4/27/13 in northern MI.
The imago was collected on 5/8/13 in northern MI. It molted into a spinner on the way home.
I believe the nymph is the same species as the subimago as it was collected at the same time as the subimago. On that particular day, you couldn't pull the seine out of the water without pulling in a few dozen of these at a time.
As always, thanks for any insight!
The imago was collected on 5/8/13 in northern MI. It molted into a spinner on the way home.
I believe the nymph is the same species as the subimago as it was collected at the same time as the subimago. On that particular day, you couldn't pull the seine out of the water without pulling in a few dozen of these at a time.
As always, thanks for any insight!
Oldredbarn on May 10, 2013May 10th, 2013, 6:42 pm EDT
Alex...I think you have a couple different bugs there...The first is a Baetis, probably tricaudatus.
The second one could be P adoptiva. The Little Mahogany.
The nymph...E invaria...The Light Henny.
How's that for a guess?
Spence
The second one could be P adoptiva. The Little Mahogany.
The nymph...E invaria...The Light Henny.
How's that for a guess?
Spence
"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
DayTripper on May 10, 2013May 10th, 2013, 7:33 pm EDT
Thanks guys! I really appreciate it!
Oldredbarn on May 10, 2013May 10th, 2013, 7:57 pm EDT
I just to a peak at #2 enlarged it has the small hind wing of baetis and the head looks like the one in my past post. Making it the same as the 1 rst one but female.
She has three tails Mack...Baetis only 2. Baetis, like its cousin Plauditus don't have hind wings. It is Paraleptophlebia adoptiva...
Spence
"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
Oldredbarn on May 11, 2013May 11th, 2013, 3:09 am EDT
Mack...I'm looking with an iPhone. Not the best method for this, maybe i should move to a bigger computer. In the earlier post you said you had blown it up and there was a hind wing. If there isn't a hind wing and it only has two tails instead of three I stand corrected and it could be a Baetis female.
"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
Crepuscular on May 11, 2013May 11th, 2013, 5:48 am EDT
Baetis, like its cousin Plauditus don't have hind wings. It is Paraleptophlebia adoptiva...
Spence
Baetis do have small hind wings. http://www.troutnut.com/fullsize/picture-im_regspec/2848
I'm pretty sure it's not Paraleptophlebia. Looks like a female Baetis tricaudatus imago to me. The hind wing is hard to see but it appears to be there, and it looks like it has two tails, again difficult to see.
The nymph is definitely an Ephemerellid. You guys are braver than I to go past that.
Entoman on May 11, 2013May 11th, 2013, 8:30 am EDT
I'm with Eric on the adults. Probably B. tricaudatus. The photo of the female did give me pause, though. Sure looks like it has three tails at first glance. Baetid hind wings (on those that have them) are usually very tiny and lay horizontally. This causes them to go unnoticed to the unaided angler's eye. The perpendicular ovals of the leptophlebiids are hard to miss. I believe that is what Spence was referring to.
I also agree with Spence on the nymph. It looks like a fairly typical E. invaria imature.
I also agree with Spence on the nymph. It looks like a fairly typical E. invaria imature.
"It's not that I find fishing so important, it's just that I find all other endeavors of Man equally unimportant... And not nearly as much fun!" Robert Traver, Anatomy of a Fisherman
Oldredbarn on May 11, 2013May 11th, 2013, 2:20 pm EDT
Yep. I stand corrected...things are pretty serious when we can pull Eric from maybe the only softball game his daughter has won this year...My stats maybe off here. :)
I went back to Leonard and yes the Michigan B tricaudatus has a hind wing. Ann Miller has a typo then in her book since she claims no hind wing. It could be a problem since she lumps her discussion on Baetis and Plauditus together.
I went back to Leonard and yes the Michigan B tricaudatus has a hind wing. Ann Miller has a typo then in her book since she claims no hind wing. It could be a problem since she lumps her discussion on Baetis and Plauditus together.
"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
DayTripper on May 11, 2013May 11th, 2013, 4:17 pm EDT
Ok, I have some other photos of this spinner and went back to see if I had one that showed the hind wing a little better, and the number of tails. This one definitely had two tails and a hind wing. The additional pic is now attached to the original post. Thanks for the help in ID'ing these guys!
Crepuscular on May 11, 2013May 11th, 2013, 4:23 pm EDT
Yep. I stand corrected...things are pretty serious when we can pull Eric from maybe the only softball game his daughter has won this year...My stats maybe off here. :)
Yes your stats are a little off (not very far off though)...it's a "rebuilding" year.
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