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Dark Rusty Spinners



Like most common names, "Dark Rusty Spinner" can refer to more than one taxon. They're previewed below, along with 5 specimens. For more detail click through to the scientific names.

Mayfly Species Hexagenia atrocaudata

These are very rarely called Dark Rusty Spinners.
This species is slightly smaller than Hexagenia limbata and it occurs later in the year. It is only mentioned in passing by a few authors, but it can be locally important.
Female Hexagenia atrocaudata (Late Hex) Mayfly DunFemale Hexagenia atrocaudata (Late Hex) Mayfly Dun View 14 PicturesI found this lone Hexagenia atrocaudata dun fluttering by herself on the surface of a small, still stretch of river one evening as I paddled home from fishing for smallmouths in the warm August weather.
Collected August 5, 2005 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on April 14, 2006
Male Hexagenia atrocaudata (Late Hex) Mayfly SpinnerMale Hexagenia atrocaudata (Late Hex) Mayfly Spinner View 12 Pictures
Collected July 24, 2005 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on April 15, 2006

Mayfly Species Cinygmula reticulata

These are very rarely called Dark Rusty Spinners.
Cinygmula reticulata is probably the second most important species of Cinygmula behind Cinygmula ramaleyi, perhaps because the waters where it can be found in good numbers are often more remote. They have been reported as abundant in many high country streams of the Southern Rockies as well as the High Sierra's Eastern slope. An obvious difference in their coloration may be the easiest way to tell them apart. Cinygmula ramaleyi is more somber with a brownish body and dark gray wings and is often confused with the similar sized and colored Ephemerella tibialis, in spite of the difference in tail counts. Cinygmula reticulata on the other hand is a bright cinnamon dorsally with pale creamy legs and pale wings that are often a brilliant canary yellow. This is one of North America's most beautiful mayflies.
Cinygmula reticulata (Western Ginger Quill) Mayfly NymphCinygmula reticulata (Western Ginger Quill) Mayfly Nymph View 1 PicturesI collected several live specimens of nymphs and reared them to the imago (Imago: The sexually mature adult stage of the mayfly is called the imago by scientists and the spinner by anglers.) stage. They were C. reticulata. The interesting thing is they were collected in May and were emerging along with Rhithrogena (March Brown). This seems to be an overlooked hatch since in some rivers it emerges very early, before runoff.
Collected May 10, 2009 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on June 26, 2011
Female Cinygmula reticulata (Western Ginger Quill) Mayfly DunFemale Cinygmula reticulata (Western Ginger Quill) Mayfly Dun View 1 Pictures
Collected June 15, 2011 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on June 24, 2011
Male Cinygmula reticulata (Western Ginger Quill) Mayfly SpinnerMale Cinygmula reticulata (Western Ginger Quill) Mayfly Spinner View 7 PicturesThe lengths of the wing and body, measured with a caliper, are both 8 mm.

Keys in Needham's 1935 Biology of Mayflies point to either Cinygmula reticulata or Cinygmula gartrelli. IT seems to have “cross veins in costal half of fore wing only, slightly margined with brown” and “wings tinged withamber at base and along costal margin of both wings” (gartrelli) as opposed to “all cross veins of both wings faintly but broadly margined with pale smoky” and “wings entirely amber-tinged” (although there is a slight amber tinge throughout, just more pronounced in places) as in reticulata. However, wing length reported for reticulata (9 mm) is closer to this specimen than gartrelli (10 mm). Ventral (Ventral: Toward or on the bottom.) median marks are supposed to be “traces” for reticulata and “present” for gartrelli. Descriptions for both species involve semi-hyaline (Hyaline: Highly transparent, or glassy; usually refers to insect wings, especially those of mayfly spinners.) anterior (Anterior: Toward the front of an organism's body. The phrase "anterior to" means "in front of.") abdominal segments not present on my specimens. Distribution records suggest reticulate lives nearby, so I'm going with that, but I can't confidently rule out gartrelli.
Collected August 1, 2020 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on August 18, 2020
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