#Heptageniidae

[aquatic-insects-enthousiast]

Happy Mayfly Monday! Everyone look at these puppies! My guess is that this one’s heptageniidae larvae, the Flathead Mayfly.

You can find flathead mayflies somewhere in your vicinity! Where? Fast moving/shallow streams and lakes! Where in there? Get in the water and start checking stones and wood that’s been submerged! You’ll discover them clinging flatly to random sticks, logs, the underside of stones, roots that are sticking out the sides of a stream bank, and more! They like a wide range of substrate though, so look for them clinging to any good hard materials in that water!

Go and find the mayflies near you!

[acarinarium]

Did river invert sampling today! It was very cool, also got to see some very nice inverts other than the river ones, and maybe some planarians that aren't pictured here since I couldn't get them off the rock I saw them on

[davidtennantpussytulpa]

im my all work and no play makes jack a dull boy era. and my that i mean im typing the same thing over and over again

[crevicedwelling]

Is it ok to just send cool bugs we find? If so check out this cool (I believe) Heptageniidae mayfly larva he is a BEEFY boy 💪

uhh people just do anyway. nice bug

[web1995]

File:Rhithrogena germanica subimago on Equisetum hyemale.jpg

Deutsch: Eine weibliche Subimago (ein geflügeltes Vorimaginalstadium) der Märzbräune (Rhithrogena germanica) aus der Familie Heptageniidae. Die Subimagines besitzen eine behaarte Haut (Subimaginalhaut), die auch die Flügel überzieht. Diese sind deshalb bei den Subimagines stets etwas trüb und haben häufig, wie auch bei R. germanica, eine bestimmte Musterung. Imaginalflügel sind hingegen in aller Regel hyalin und klar durchscheinend. Die Eintagsfliegen (Ephemeroptera, auch Ephemoptera; von gr. ephemeros - eintägig, pteron - Flügel) sind die ursprünglichsten unter den Fluginsekten (Pterygota). Es gibt sie schon seit 200 Millionen Jahren. Die Eintagsfliegen bilden eine Ordnung innerhalb der Klasse der Insekten (Insecta). Von den bekannten 2.800 Arten leben in Mitteleuropa mehr als 100. Die Eintagsfliege im Bild ruht auf einem Winter-Schachtelhalm Equisetum hyemale aus der Klasse der Schachtelhalme (Equisetopsida). English: A female subimago of March Brown (Rhithrogena germanica) mayfly in the family Heptageniidae. Mayflies are insects which belong to the Order Ephemeroptera (from the Greek ephemeros, short-lived and pteron, wing, referring to the short life span of adults). They have been placed into an ancient group of insects termed the Paleoptera, which also contains the dragonflies and damselflies. They are aquatic insects whose immature stage (called naiad or, colloquially, nymph) usually lasts one year in fresh water. It is resting on a Rough Horsetail Equisetum hyemale stem. Français : Un subimago femelle de (Rhithrogena germanica) sur une fructification de Prêle. Rhithrogena germanica est une mouche de mai ou éphémère de la famille des Heptageniidés. Rhithrogena germanica est une espèce répandue en Europe, sur toutes les rivières, mais avec une prédilection pour les eaux froides et oxygénées de moyenne montagne.

Identification: Dr. Arne Haybach at www.ephemeroptera.de (thanks!)

8 January 2008

Richard Bartz, Munich aka Makro Freak Image:MFB.jpg

[dendroica]

Flatheaded mayfly, Leucrocuta sp. (by me)

[riseformsff]

Camera shy #troutstreamentomology #flytying #flyfishing #dryflyfishing #mayflies #mayfly #heptageniidae #cvmayflies (at Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania)

[actuallyaveragestudyspo]

3-4-21

Day 4- For my researching fellows, what are you researching on? If you’re not currently researching, what is the topic within your field that you’re most passionate about?

AHHHHH I BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE, TURN IT UP!

So I do research in the parasitology lab, and despite being Pre-Dental, I adore the research I am doing. I just won an award for best undergraduate research presentation at the American Society of Parasitologists conference last fall for my work with Chordodes morgani cyst prevalence in Heptageniidae. My lab works with a lot of horsehair worms that infect snails, mayflies, crickets, beetles, etc in the midwest, and it is one helluva elusive parasite--we don't understand it's full timeline with the lifecycle, and the massive amount of things it can infect. Hoping to get published at the end of this year, and if so, we will be the first lab to nail down this worm's life cycle. It's really nerdy but I love it so much--I spend most of my time during the summer out in the field collecting samples, and during the school year I do a lot of dissection, infections, and my personal favorite, cyst counting. I'm in love with microscope work.

Can you spot any of the cysts in the pic? There are over 100 XD. If anyone is interested I made a very short tiktok of my average day to day in the lab that I can post.

[onenicebugperday]

Some friends I found while looking for crayfish in my creek! I think the first two are larval forms of mayflies or similar, then some caddisfly larvae, and some kind of spider that could dart across the surface of the water! Any idea what species these guys are?

Oh this is so fun!!! Creeks are a great place to find all kinds of bug friends. It’s often hard to determine species based on the larvae so I don’t know that I could narrow it down that far. The first one looks like a stonefly larva, likely in the family Peltoperlidae. The second a definitely a mayfly larva, probably in Heptageniidae. And you’re right on the caddisfly larvae but I couldn’t say which species based on that photo.  The spider would be easier to ID with a closer, clearer photo, but maybe a juvenile six-spotted fishing spider? Sorry I couldn’t be more specific, but thank you for sharing all these super fun creek pals!

Edit - thanks for letting me know they were in NC, that was helpful!

[jpnewburyanglingarts]

My Short List of Roaring Fork Valley Tactical Fy Patterns

I am often asked which of my flies would be the most important to carry in my box while fishing the Roaring Fork Valley. While I would like to respond with “anything you see on my site will work.”  After all, I have developed many new patterns that have been proven to be very productive while fishing the local area. I know that is not the answer you seek. I will do you much better than that, and be more specific, to help you make local tactical fly choices when you visit the Roaring Fork Valley.

Glam Rocker Jigs

The single most effective new fly I have in my catalog is the Glam Rocker jig. If forced into one fly pattern to compete with, I would lash on this pattern on. This fly has a lot going on for it. The Alt Rocker series covers several hatches very well from the Heptageniidae clinger shape to baetis swimmers and everything in between. Having a generic body profile allows this pattern also to cover caddis and small stoneflies. I am confident that I can go out and catch fish consistently with nothing but a box full of Alt-Rockers in various bead sizes and colors; with the top producing color being olive. In summer, when the pale morning duns and yellow sallies are hatching, the ginger brown is the best local color. The black Alt Rocker is also handy all season long, but really stands out in March when we have several large midge hatches.

 MDJ jig - Mothers Day Jig

The end of April and into the first week of May is when the air fills with grannoms. Brachycentrus americanus and Brachycentrus occidentalis are the two species that hatch in overlapping waves progressing rapidly upstream. A particular point that I would like to highlight, is the fish are very sub-surface oriented during this hatch, I not bother with fishing a dry fly. I do not own a single dry fly to fish this hatch. Most feeding activity that you will see during the caddis blizzards is sub-surface on emergent pupae very near the surface, and not actually surface rises. Don’t be lured into the the false hope of stellar dry fly fishing, at least below Basalt.

 When fishing the Mothers Day caddis, I fish a two fly rig set up with a Spring Caddis jig as a point with an upper dropper to drift high in the water column being a tactical Flymph.

  Knuckle Dragger - Golden Stone

I like to fish big flies in big water for big fish. The Knuckle Dragger is my go-to pattern that gets deep and provokes a lot of very big river toughies. I tie the front legs extra long to active a swimming motion with fly when used in conjunction with a loop knot. The golden stone color from March through Aug. From May-July the green drake version is my choice. I tie trailer hitches on the rear of my knuckle draggers to carry a smaller less buoyant fly such as my Green Papaya Czech Nymph.

  Green Papaya

Number three on my top list is the Green Papaya. There are few days that I can’t catch fish with it. This pattern is killer during the yellow sallies. I only need a size 14. I fish the Green Papaya from mid-June through September. I usually fish this as a dropper behind a Knuckle Dragger.

   Black Flashback Pheasant Tail.

From mid March through early May is a good time to use this fly. It is a highly effective neo-traditional style of nymph with a down eye hook. These little gems mesmerize the trout too.

CDC Zika Jig

No time is a bad time to fish this fly, ergo it simply must be in your box. This rule applies to everyone.

I could continue, but for now, this are all absolute essentials in my personal and guide boxes.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

[aquatic-insects-enthousiast]

I caught too many of these babies to really count this Sunday, but my god, flat head mayflies never cease to be one of my favorite aquatic insects. Heptageniidae is an ephemeropteran I can always get behind. Caught in a sandy/silty/heavy clay river on various woody debris. Pick up your local wet logs and stare at em! You might find some!

5/5/24

[literallyapumpkin]

Saying "Stenonema" makes me feel like being a three-year-old saying "cinnamon."

[aquatic-insects-enthousiast]

Please enjoy this image I took of a heptageniidae larvae under the microscope. My favorite diagnostic characteristic for these guys is big huge anime eyes. They are like puppies to me. I caught this one March 17th, on a big chunk of floating wood in a cypressy stream. Mayflies deserve so much…

[riseformsff]

These guys keep showing up at my door. #mayflies #heptageniidae #flyfishing #riseformsflyfishing #ephemeroptera #troutfood (at Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania)