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Artistic view of a Male Pteronarcys californica (Pteronarcyidae) (Giant Salmonfly) Stonefly Adult from the Gallatin River in Montana
Salmonflies
Pteronarcys californica

The giant Salmonflies of the Western mountains are legendary for their proclivity to elicit consistent dry-fly action and ferocious strikes.

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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Millcreek has attached these 5 pictures to aid in identification. The message is below.
Larvae 12 mm. Case 22 mm.
Pupal case 17 mm.
Pupa !3 mm.
Pupa 13 mm.
Pupa 13 mm.
Millcreek
Healdsburg, CA

Posts: 344
Millcreek on Jun 18, 2015June 18th, 2015, 1:17 pm EDT

I've put up the larva before but not the pupa. The pupa is commonly found attached at both ends to stones. Occasionally it is found attached by the front end to a large stone. It is usually found in slack water.

The common name is White Miller.








"If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?"
-Albert Einstein
Taxon
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Site Editor
Plano, TX

Posts: 1311
Taxon on Jun 18, 2015June 18th, 2015, 8:05 pm EDT
Mark,

Wow, what gorgeous pupal photos. Don't recall having previously seen a forked terminal process on a caddisfly. Thanks for sharing.
Best regards,
Roger Rohrbeck
www.FlyfishingEntomology.com
Millcreek
Healdsburg, CA

Posts: 344
Millcreek on Jun 18, 2015June 18th, 2015, 8:36 pm EDT
Roger,

Several caddisfly pupae have forked terminal processes. Some that come to mind are various Leptoceridae species, some Uenoidae species and some Odontoceridae. Anyway, it's always fun to find something like that.

Mark
"If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?"
-Albert Einstein
Taxon
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Site Editor
Plano, TX

Posts: 1311
Taxon on Jun 18, 2015June 18th, 2015, 11:14 pm EDT
Mark-

Live and learn, I guess! :-)
Best regards,
Roger Rohrbeck
www.FlyfishingEntomology.com
Oldredbarn
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Novi, MI

Posts: 2600
Oldredbarn on Jun 19, 2015June 19th, 2015, 6:38 am EDT
Hey guys...How about walking us through the process after this stage?

I'm looking at the pictures where we see the underside of the insect and was wondering...Does all of this continue to the next stage? What I mean is, the wings here seem short...Does the green abdomen drop off or does that remain with the adult?

Maybe this specimen isn't "that" close to "hatching"...

How about a walk through?

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
Millcreek
Healdsburg, CA

Posts: 344
Millcreek on Jun 19, 2015June 19th, 2015, 7:35 am EDT
Spence - The abdomen remains with the adult. The wings are somewhat shortened and folded and stay that way until it becomes an adult. You can get an idea of how it works by looking at the exuvia left behind when it transforms from pupa to adult.

http://www.troutnut.com/topic/8669/Neophylax-larvae-and-pupae

Mark
"If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?"
-Albert Einstein
Taxon
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Site Editor
Plano, TX

Posts: 1311
Taxon on Jun 19, 2015June 19th, 2015, 8:54 am EDT
Hi Spence-

I sense that your question relates primarily to the disparity of the wing/abdomen length, between the pupal and adult life stages.

With regard to only that specific issue, the abdomen remains essentially the same length in the adult. However the wings of the adult get "inflated" through their venation at time of emergence, such that the longer fore wings end up reaching well beyond the end of the adult abdomen when in their resting position. Hope this helps.
Best regards,
Roger Rohrbeck
www.FlyfishingEntomology.com
Oldredbarn
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Novi, MI

Posts: 2600
Oldredbarn on Jun 19, 2015June 19th, 2015, 2:04 pm EDT
Yes it does. Thanks to both of you. 13mm is a pretty fair sized caddis.

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

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