Gray-Winged Brown Quills

These tiny mayflies were once known by the names Pseudocloeon carolina in the East and Pseudocloeon turbidum in the West. They are now considered synonymous. With the new species name turbida, these mayflies were also moved to the genus Acentrella. The combining of these two species has made turbida's distribution trans-continental. In places their numbers compensate for their small size and make for excellent hatches.

In the West, turbida is more variable in size and appearance than its eastern iteration, in keeping with the large and varied regions it inhabits. It can run as small as 3.5 mm and as large as 5 mm, the larger sizes tending to be more brownish. It is often confused with the smaller broods of Diphetor hageni, but its conical mesonotal projection (Conical mesonotal projection: small cone shaped spike sticking up from the top and front part of the middle thorax segment.), lack of hind-wings, exaggerated turbinate (

This male Baetidae dun has slightly turbinate eyes.

Turbinate: Shaped like a top or elevated on a stalk; usually refers to the eyes of some adult male Baetidae mayflies which are wider near the tip than at the base.) eyes (hence its name) and stockier build help to differentiate it.

They are often found on the water with a mix of other Baetidae mayflies, making for very challenging fishing.