Small Western Gordon Quills

Mayflies

Caddisflies

Stoneflies

Scientific Names

Match	Scientific Name
	Epeorus
	Cinygmula ramaleyi

Like most common names, "Small Western Gordon Quill" can refer to more than one taxon. They're previewed below, along with 6 specimens. For more detail click through to the scientific names.

Mayfly Genus Epeorus

These are sometimes called Small Western Gordon Quills.

There is remarkable variety of form and color within this prolific genus of fast-water mayflies. Different species are found across the country, and several cause good hatches. Fly anglers are likely to encounter the lesser species on occasion, too.

The best Epeorus hatch in the East is Epeorus pleuralis, the famous Quill Gordon, the first abundant large mayfly hatch of the year. Epeorus vitreus comes a little later and is important in both the East and Midwest.

In the West, Epeorus longimanus dominates in fast, high-altitude streams, while Epeorus albertae inhabits slower and lower waters.

Epeorus (Little Maryatts) Mayfly Nymph

View 9 Pictures

Collected May 6, 2007 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on May 18, 2007

Male Epeorus pleuralis (Quill Gordon) Mayfly Dun

View 9 PicturesI kept this specimen after photographing it and it molted into a spinner in perfect condition, which I photographed here.

Collected April 30, 2007 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on May 3, 2007

Male Epeorus pleuralis (Quill Gordon) Mayfly Spinner

View 10 PicturesA few days earlier I photographed this same specimen as a dun. The changes between dun and spinner seem particularly dramatic in this species.

Collected April 30, 2007 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on May 3, 2007

See 37 more specimens...

Mayfly Species Cinygmula ramaleyi

These are sometimes called Small Western Gordon Quills.

This can be the first mayfly of the season on high mountain streams. It is the most important species of Cinygmula.

Cinygmula ramaleyi (Small Western Gordon Quill) Mayfly Nymph

View 9 PicturesThis nymph is almost definitely the same species as this dun, which hatched from a nearly identical nymph from the same collection.

Collected July 10, 2011 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on July 13, 2011

Female Cinygmula ramaleyi (Small Western Gordon Quill) Mayfly Dun

View 7 PicturesThis dun is almost certainly of the same species as this nymph, as it hatched in my cooler from a nearly identical nymph.

Collected July 10, 2011 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on July 13, 2011

Male Cinygmula ramaleyi (Small Western Gordon Quill) Mayfly Adult

View 4 PicturesAdults were collected from the North Fork of the Touchet River at Touchet Corral, 21 Sept. One photo is the swarm of males over the stream about 3 PM, air temp about 66 degree.

Collected September 21, 2011 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on September 23, 2011

See 1 more specimens...

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.

Nymph: 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).

Spinner: There are two winged stages of adult mayflies. They emerge from the water as duns, molt on land (usually) into their fully mature stage, spinners. As spinners, they mate, lay eggs, and die.