Salmonflies
Pteronarcys californica
The giant Salmonflies of the Western mountains are legendary for their proclivity to elicit consistent dry-fly action and ferocious strikes.
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I was not fishing, but happened to be at an unrelated social event on a hill above this tiny creek (which I never even saw) when this stonefly flew by me. I assume it came from there. Some key characteristics are tricky to follow, but process of elimination ultimately led me to Sweltsa borealis. It is reassuringly similar to this specimen posted by Bob Newell years ago. It is also so strikingly similar to this nymph from the same river system that I'm comfortable identifying that nymph from this adult. I was especially pleased with the closeup photo of four mites parasitizing this one.
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Millcreek on Oct 13, 2014October 13th, 2014, 10:13 am EDT
Serratella micheneri nymphs are common in the Russian River from April through May. Most are found in glides with a substrate of large gravel and cobble in a moderate current. Usually found in large numbers on single rocks. I ID'd them to genus using Merritt, Cummins and Berg (2008) and to species with Allen and Edmunds "A Revision of the Genus Ephemerella (Ephemeroptera: Ephemerellidae). VI. The Subgenus Serratella in North America" (1963)http://www.ephemeroptera-galactica.com/pubs/pub_a/puballenr1963p583.pdf and Jacobus and McCafferty "Revisionary Contributions to North American Ephemerella and Serratella (Ephemeroptera: Ephemerellidae) (2003)http://www.ephemeroptera-galactica.com/pubs/pub_j/pubjacobusl2003p174.pdf.
Nymphs are 5-7 mm in length (excluding cerci).
Nymphs are 5-7 mm in length (excluding cerci).
"If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?"
-Albert Einstein
-Albert Einstein
PaulRoberts on Oct 13, 2014October 13th, 2014, 3:49 pm EDT
Wow! Pretty critters they are.
Millcreek on Oct 13, 2014October 13th, 2014, 4:40 pm EDT
Paul-
Yeah, they are pretty little varmints and like a lot of animals that have a pattern that's broken up like this they're really well camouflaged when in their regular habitat and not in a petri dish. Hope to get some photos of them on rocks next year.
Have you seen these in Colorado? Apparently they've been reported there, as well as a number of other western states.
Yeah, they are pretty little varmints and like a lot of animals that have a pattern that's broken up like this they're really well camouflaged when in their regular habitat and not in a petri dish. Hope to get some photos of them on rocks next year.
Have you seen these in Colorado? Apparently they've been reported there, as well as a number of other western states.
"If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?"
-Albert Einstein
-Albert Einstein
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