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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 Ephemerella mucronata (Ephemerellidae) Mayfly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington
This is an interesting one. Following the keys in Merritt R.W., Cummins, K.W., and Berg, M.B. (2019) and Jacobus et al. (2014), it keys clearly to Ephemerella. Jacobus et al provide a key to species, but some of the characteristics are tricky to interpret without illustrations. If I didn't make any mistakes, this one keys to Ephemerella mucronata, which has not previously been reported any closer to here than Montana and Alberta. The main character seems to fit well: "Abdominal terga with prominent, paired, subparallel, spiculate ridges." Several illustrations or descriptions of this holarctic species from the US and Europe seem to match, including the body length, tarsal claws and denticles, labial palp, and gill shapes. These sources include including Richard Allen's original description of this species in North America under the now-defunct name E. moffatae in Allen RK (1977) and the figures in this description of the species in Italy.
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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PaulRoberts
PaulRoberts's profile picture
Colorado

Posts: 1776
PaulRoberts on Oct 9, 2014October 9th, 2014, 10:13 pm EDT
When I tie the nymph I try to add the hind wing -all rumpled up inside the exuvia. That bit of realism turns those persnickety ones into biters, especially when fished deep. ;)
TroutBums
Cincinnati, OH

Posts: 13
TroutBums on Oct 11, 2014October 11th, 2014, 5:17 pm EDT
Tabled is a good idea. I feel like I'm intruding on an old established poker game without my cigars. The picture is beautiful. I came across a video that might lighten up the conversation. Although I did learn a lot from www.FlyfishingEntomology.com and Taxon.
Here is the video http://tinyurl.com/k9kwj8e
Ted Holcomb
http://TroutBumOutfitters.com
Contact@TroutBumOutfitters.com

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