Close examination of this specimen under a microscope reveals that it has small rounded tubercles (
A few (not all) of the abdominal tubercles on this
Ephemerella needhami nymph are circled. They are especially large in this species.
Tubercle: Various peculiar little bumps or projections on an insect. Their character is important for the identification of many kinds of insects, such as the nymphs of Ephemerellidae mayflies.) on the tergites (Tergite: The top (dorsal) part of a single segment on an insect's abdomen when it consists of a single chitinous plate (sclerite), or an individual sclerite if the segment has more than one.) and the tails are uniformly covered with short black hairs. Looking at this specimen a while later, my early observations were probably not relevant because it was such as small 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.) mayfly that its identifying characteristics were not fully developed.This mayfly was collected from unknown on January 31st, 2004 and added to Troutnut.com on January 25th, 2006.
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