Black Quills and Blue Quills
This common name refers to only one family.
Mayfly Family Leptophlebiidae
These are pretty much always called Black Quills and Blue Quills.
The champions of this family are Leptophlebia and Paraleptophlebia. The large mayflies of Leptophlebia are on the water sporadically for a long time. The Paraleptophlebia flies are smaller but come in much more concentrated numbers.
Leptophlebiidae also contains several genera and species which are never mentioned in fly-fishing literature, either because they are too rare or because they require water too warm for trout.
Leptophlebiidae also contains several genera and species which are never mentioned in fly-fishing literature, either because they are too rare or because they require water too warm for trout.
Leptophlebia cupida (Black Quill) Mayfly Nymph
View 8 Pictures
View 8 PicturesRegion: Northeast
Collected Mar 29, 2005
Added Apr 6, 2006
Male Leptophlebia cupida (Black Quill) Mayfly Dun
View 6 PicturesThis Leptophlebia cupida dun was extremely cooperative, and it molted into a spinner for me in front of the camera. Here I have a few dun pictures and one spinner picture, and I've put the entire molting sequence in an article.
View 6 PicturesThis Leptophlebia cupida dun was extremely cooperative, and it molted into a spinner for me in front of the camera. Here I have a few dun pictures and one spinner picture, and I've put the entire molting sequence in an article.Region: Upper Midwest
Collected May 27, 2005
Added May 16, 2006
Male Paraleptophlebia (Blue Quills) Mayfly Spinner
View 15 PicturesI wasn't actually fishing the river where I caught this one. I was just scouting, didn't like the look of the water, and as I was walking back to the car this little dun landed on my vest. Why can't they all be so easy to collect?
View 15 PicturesI wasn't actually fishing the river where I caught this one. I was just scouting, didn't like the look of the water, and as I was walking back to the car this little dun landed on my vest. Why can't they all be so easy to collect?Region: Catskills
Collected Sep 8, 2006
Added Oct 4, 2006
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