This aquatic insect was resting on my garage door this evening. Can you identify it by any of the following: Order common name: Order taxonomic name: Family common name: Family taxonomic name: Genus common name: Genus taxonomic name: Species taxonomic name: Lifestage: Sex:
After discovering it, I took it indoors to photograph it, and then returned it to its vertical perch on the garage door. However, when I went out early this afternoon, this is what I discovered:
Order common name: Mayfly Order taxonomic name: Ephemeroptera Family common name: Burrower Mayfly Family taxonomic name: Ephemeridae Genus common name: Hex Genus taxonomic name: Hexagenia Species taxonomic name: limbata Lifestage: Adult / Dun Sex: Male
Outstanding work, lx-88. Incidentally, in case anyone is interested, its body length was 25 mm, both as a subimago (dun) and as an imago (spinner). IDENTIFICATIONS: Order common name: Mayfly (lx-88) Order taxonomic name: Ephemeroptera (lx-88) Family common name: Burrower Mayfly (lx-88) Family taxonomic name: Ephemeridae (lx-88) Genus common name: Hex (lx-88) Genus taxonomic name: Hexagenia (lx-88) Species taxonomic name: limbata (lx-88) Lifestage: Adult / Dun (lx-88) Subimago (Taxon) Sex: Male (lx-88)
The flies that I use to catch fish don't look anything like that bug. What bug looks like a Royal Wulff? Or a soft Hackle?
Hi there, OMJ- Nice to hear from you again. As you probably realize, fishable Hex hatches are largely limited to one particular lake here in WA, and they mostly come off after dark. Don't know about you, but I don't particularly enjoy fishing after dark. Some do, but it's just not my cup of tea. In answer to your (likely largely rhetorical) questions, no bug looks like a Royal Wulff. Having said that, it has long been one if my favorite searching patterns for skinny water. And, a Soft Hackle does an effective job of imitating a caddisfly pupa, particularly on the upswing.
Don't like fishing in the dark and don't like driving these roads here in Montana when it's dark out. Too damn many Deer out and about. You can come up on them unexpected. You can't stop and they won't get out of the way.