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Lateral view of a Female Hexagenia limbata (Ephemeridae) (Hex) Mayfly Dun from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin
Hex Mayflies
Hexagenia limbata

The famous nocturnal Hex hatch of the Midwest (and a few other lucky locations) stirs to the surface mythically large brown trout that only touch streamers for the rest of the year.

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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Millcreek has attached these 4 pictures to aid in identification. The message is below.
Isoperla marmorata
Isoperla marmorata
Taenionema pacificum
Taenionema pacificum
Millcreek
Healdsburg, CA

Posts: 344
Millcreek on Feb 21, 2018February 21st, 2018, 6:50 am EST
I've had the Isoperla species in here before but it was dead when photographed and these are live. Species were identified to genus using "An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America" by Merritt, Cummins and Berg (2008). They were identified to species using "The Isoperla of California (Plecoptera: Perlodidae) Larval Descriptions and a Key to 17 Western Nearctic Species" by J.B. Sandberg.(2011).
http://www2.pms-lj.si/illiesia/papers/Illiesia07-22.pdf
And "New Descriptions of North American Taenionema Larvae (Plecoptera; Taeniopterygidae)" by K.W. Stewart (2009).http://www.zobodat.at/pdf/Illiesia_05_0128-0145.pdf

The nymphs were collected 2/20/18 in shallow, fast water with small to medium gravel. The Isoperla marmorata was 13-15 mm and the Taenionema pacificum was 9-12 mm.
"If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?"
-Albert Einstein

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