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.
This wild-looking little thing completely puzzled me. At first I was thinking beetle or month larva, until I got a look at the pictures on the computer screen. I made a couple of incorrect guesses before entomologist Greg Courtney pointed me in the right direction with Psychodidae. He suggested a possible genus of Thornburghiella, but could not rule out some other members of the tribe Pericomini.
Btbo32 on Oct 27, 2017October 27th, 2017, 2:02 pm EDT
I collected these today on the Big Flatbrook in Sussex County Nj. I would say going by hook size probably 12-14. Not sure what a Maccaffertium is..sorry new at learning all these aquatic insects. Please advise if you could? Thanks for reaching out!
Millcreek on Oct 27, 2017October 27th, 2017, 2:59 pm EDT
Maccaffertium is the name of a heptageniidae (flat-headed) mayfly nymph and adult. The reason I guessed Maccaffertium is because the front leg is fairly wide at the femur and looks to be banded with brown and a whitish color and because it has the general body configuration of a flat-headed nymph. I'm going on guess work as much as anything.
"If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?"
-Albert Einstein
Wbranch on Oct 29, 2017October 29th, 2017, 3:36 am EDT
Maccaffertium
I thought this was the nymph of the March Brown. BTW Big Flatbrook was my "home" trout stream for about 25 years until I bought a cabin on the Delaware River.