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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.

Dorsal view of a Neoleptophlebia (Leptophlebiidae) Mayfly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington
Some characteristics from the microscope images for the tentative species id: The postero-lateral projections are found only on segment 9, not segment 8. Based on the key in Jacobus et al. (2014), it appears to key to Neoleptophlebia adoptiva or Neoleptophlebia heteronea, same as this specimen with pretty different abdominal markings. However, distinguishing between those calls for comparing the lengths of the second and third segment of the labial palp, and this one (like the other one) only seems to have two segments. So I'm stuck on them both. It's likely that the fact that they're immature nymphs stymies identification in some important way.
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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Lateral view of a Drunella grandis (Ephemerellidae) (Western Green Drake) Mayfly Nymph from the Dosewallips River in Washington
Martinlf
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Palmyra PA

Posts: 3047
Martinlf on Aug 14, 2020August 14th, 2020, 3:30 am EDT
Love the detail here, Jason. Those spikes on the head and abdomen are cool. Horned mayfly.
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"

--Fred Chappell
Troutnut
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Bellevue, WA

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Troutnut on Aug 14, 2020August 14th, 2020, 6:49 am EDT
Yeah, Drunella grandis is a cool-looking mayfly! Check out Drunella spinifera, which takes those features to an even greater extreme.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist

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