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Mayfly Family Heptageniidae (March Browns, Cahills, Quill Gordons)

Mayflies

Caddisflies

Stoneflies

Taxonomic Navigation -?-

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

» Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

» Class Insecta (Insects)

» Order Ephemeroptera (Mayflies)

» Family Heptageniidae (March Browns, Cahills, Quill Gordons)

Genus in Heptageniidae
CinygmaWestern Light Cahills	0	0
CinygmulaDark Red Quills	0	0
EcdyonurusWestern Ginger Quills	0	0
EpeorusLittle Maryatts	0	9
Heptagenia	0	0
Ironodes	0	0
Leucrocuta	0	0
MaccaffertiumMarch Browns and Cahills	0	1
Nixe	0	0
Rhithrogena	0	0
StenacronLight Cahills	0	0
Stenonema	0	0

4 genera aren't included.

Common Name

Match	Common Name
	March Browns, Cahills, Quill Gordons

Pictures Below ↓

This is page 10 of specimens of Heptageniidae. Visit the main Heptageniidae page for:

The behavior and habitat of Heptageniidae.
11 underwater pictures of Heptageniidae.

Pictures of 215 Mayfly Specimens in the Family Heptageniidae:

Specimen Page:1...91011...23

Leucrocuta hebe (Little Yellow Quill) Mayfly Nymph

View 2 PicturesThis is a very early instar (Instar: Many invertebrates molt through dozens of progressively larger and better-developed stages as they grow. Each of these stages is known as an instar. Hard-bodied nymphs typically molt through more instars than soft-bodied larvae.).

Collected January 13, 2004 from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on January 25, 2006

Maccaffertium (March Browns and Cahills) Mayfly Nymph

View 3 Pictures

Collected January 14, 2004 from unknown in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on January 25, 2006

Maccaffertium (March Browns and Cahills) Mayfly Nymph

View 2 Pictures

Collected January 13, 2004 from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on January 25, 2006

Maccaffertium (March Browns and Cahills) Mayfly Nymph

View 3 Pictures

Collected January 14, 2004 from unknown in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on January 25, 2006

Male Cinygmula ramaleyi (Small Western Gordon Quill) Mayfly Spinner

View 4 PicturesThis one was preserved in ethanol and partially dissected, so it doesn't have its natural wild coloration, and it's missing some appendages. I'm posting it for identification purposes.

Collected September 4, 2015 from Mystery Creek #186 in Alaska
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on October 27, 2015

Epeorus vitreus (Sulphur) Mayfly Nymph

View 3 PicturesKey features I discerned with a microscope include that the femoral flange is blunt (later note: on nymphs of this size, it's somewhat ambiguous and the femora (

The femur of this Isonychia bicolor mayfly spinner is highlighted in red.

Femur: The main segment of an insect's leg close to the body, in between the tibia and the trochanter.) can be damaged in the collection process), the postero-lateral (Lateral: To the side.) spines have a longer anterior (Anterior: Toward the front of an organism's body. The phrase "anterior to" means "in front of."), the first gill is not extended, all gills are tracheated, and the femora (

The femur of this Isonychia bicolor mayfly spinner is highlighted in red.

Femur: The main segment of an insect's leg close to the body, in between the tibia and the trochanter.) have a distinctive brown spot on the center while all the other spots are gray.

Collected February 7, 2004 from unknown in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on January 25, 2006

Epeorus vitreus (Sulphur) Mayfly Nymph

View 2 Pictures

Collected February 7, 2004 from unknown in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on January 25, 2006

Epeorus vitreus (Sulphur) Mayfly Nymph

View 2 Pictures

Collected February 7, 2004 from unknown in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on January 25, 2006

Epeorus vitreus (Sulphur) Mayfly Nymph

View 2 PicturesKey features I discerned with a microscope include that the femoral flange is blunt (again, given the other features and location, I probably misread this one), postero-lateral (Lateral: To the side.) spines with the anterior (Anterior: Toward the front of an organism's body. The phrase "anterior to" means "in front of.") longer, and the first gill is not extended.

Collected February 7, 2004 from unknown in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on January 25, 2006

Maccaffertium vicarium (March Brown) Mayfly Nymph

View 3 PicturesI keyed this nymph to Stenonema fuscom, which is now synonymized with Maccaffertium vicarium. However, the size, markings, and time of year make me very skeptical of this identification.

Collected June 9, 2005 from the Bois Brule River in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on May 26, 2006

Specimen Page:1...91011...23

Jargon Defined:

Anterior: Toward the front of an organism's body. The phrase "anterior to" means "in front of."

The femur of this Isonychia bicolor mayfly spinner is highlighted in red.

Femora: The main segment of an insect's leg close to the body, in between the tibia and the trochanter.

Instar: Many invertebrates molt through dozens of progressively larger and better-developed stages as they grow. Each of these stages is known as an instar. Hard-bodied nymphs typically molt through more instars than soft-bodied larvae.

Lateral: To the side.

Natural: A natural is a real insect (or similar creature) a trout might eat. The term is used to specify the real thing as opposed to its artificial imitation.

Nymphs: The juvenile, underwater stages of mayflies, stoneflies, dragonflies, and damselflies and other aquatic insects whose juvenile stages are covered by hard exoskeletons. The word can also refer to the fishing flies which imitate these creatures, in which case it is used as a blanket term for flies imitating any underwater stage of an invertebrate (except for crayfish and leeches).

Useful References:

Arbona, Fred Jr. 1989. Mayflies, the Angler, and the Trout. Nick Lyons Books.