Epeorus pleuralis (Quill Gordon) Mayfly Nymph Pictures

Mayflies

Caddisflies

Stoneflies

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

» Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

» Class Insecta (Insects)

» Order Ephemeroptera (Mayflies)

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

» Genus Epeorus (Little Maryatts)

» Species pleuralis (Quill Gordon)

This Epeorus pluralis dun is recently deceased in these photos. I decided not to photograph several lively, less mature nymphs. This one was ready to hatch, as indicated by the black wing pads (

The wing pads on this final instar Baetidae mayfly nymph are extremely dark.

Wing pad: A protrusion from the thorax of an insect nymph which holds the developing wings. Black wing pads usually indicate that the nymph is nearly ready to emerge into an adult.). I believe it had not been dead long enough to lose its natural coloration.

This mayfly was collected from Mongaup Creek on April 19th, 2006 and added to Troutnut.com on April 21st, 2006.

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Epeorus pleuralis (Quill Gordon) Mayfly Nymph from Mongaup Creek in New York

AuthorTroutnut

CameraCanon EOS 20D

View Full Size and Comment (2X larger)

AuthorTroutnut

CameraCanon EOS 20D

View Full Size and Comment (2X larger)

AuthorTroutnut

CameraCanon EOS 20D

View Full Size and Comment (2X larger)

AuthorTroutnut

CameraCanon EOS 20D

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Jargon Defined:

Dun: Mayflies have two adult stages. They first emerge from the water as duns (scientifically known as the subimago stage). They then molt into the spinner (imago) stage, in which they mate and die. Sometimes the word "dun" is confusingly used to refer to a brownish gray color in fly tying materials.

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).

The wing pads on this final instar Baetidae mayfly nymph are extremely dark.

Wing pads: A protrusion from the thorax of an insect nymph which holds the developing wings. Black wing pads usually indicate that the nymph is nearly ready to emerge into an adult.