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Lateral view of a Male Baetis (Baetidae) (Blue-Winged Olive) Mayfly Dun from Mystery Creek #43 in New York
Blue-winged Olives
Baetis

Tiny Baetis mayflies are perhaps the most commonly encountered and imitated by anglers on all American trout streams due to their great abundance, widespread distribution, and trout-friendly emergence habits.

Dorsal view of a Zapada cinctipes (Nemouridae) (Tiny Winter Black) Stonefly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington
Nymphs of this species were fairly common in late-winter kick net samples from the upper Yakima River. Although I could not find a key to species of Zapada nymphs, a revision of the Nemouridae family by Baumann (1975) includes the following helpful sentence: "2 cervical gills on each side of midline, 1 arising inside and 1 outside of lateral cervical sclerites, usually single and elongate, sometimes constricted but with 3 or 4 branches arising beyond gill base in Zapada cinctipes." This specimen clearly has the branches and is within the range of that species.
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.
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Lateral view of a Male Dolophilodes distincta (Philopotamidae) (Tiny Black Gold Speckled-Winged Caddis) Caddisfly Adult from Mystery Creek #42 in Pennsylvania
This caddis species was dancing high over the stream, spaced a foot or two apart across most of its width, very much like Ephemera mayfly spinners but with more side-to-side motion mixed in. There were more than enough to get the trout interested, but I wasn't able to stick around until they fell on the water (if they did at all).
Litobrancha
Knoxville TN

Posts: 51
Litobrancha on Jun 12, 2007June 12th, 2007, 8:04 am EDT
This is a male dolophilodes, probably distinctus.

You can distinguish philopotamids from hydropsychids by the ocellar head warts that are absent in hydropsychids.

D. distinctus is everywhere, along with Oecetis inconspicua, including perhaps the moon, inner four planets and in orbit. it is a beautiful insect however.
Troutnut
Troutnut's profile picture
Administrator
Bellevue, WA

Posts: 2758
Troutnut on Jun 12, 2007June 12th, 2007, 2:35 pm EDT
Neat, thanks for the ID and tip on how to tell the difference.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist

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