Arthropod Class Insecta (Insects)

There are several mayfly and stonefly nymphs clinging to this log.

In this picture: Mayfly Family Baetidae (Blue-Winged Olives) and Stonefly Family Taeniopterygidae (Willowflies).

A crayfish chews on a Hexagenia limbata nymph shortly after a small Hex emergence. I didn't catch any fish, but playing around with my flashlight and camera in the rocks proved productive.

In this picture: Arthropod Order Decapoda (Crayfish) and Mayfly Species Hexagenia limbata (Hex).

Hundreds of cased caddis larvae cling to sparse weed growth in the sand under heavy current.

In this picture: Insect Order Trichoptera (Caddisflies).

This is a close-up underwater view of a stillborn (

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This stillborn Ephemerella subvaria dun is trapped in its shuck.

Stillborn: In fly fishing, a stillborn insect is one which got stuck in its nymphal or pupal shuck during emergence and floats helplessly on the surface instead of flying away. It is a specific class of cripple, although it is sometimes used interchangeably with that term.) Ephemerella subvaria (Henrickson) female dun.

In this picture: Mayfly Species Ephemerella subvaria (Hendrickson).

Some large Ephemerella mayfly nymphs cling to a log. In the background, hundreds of Simuliidae black fly larvae swing in large clusters in the current.

In this picture: Mayfly Species Ephemerella subvaria (Hendrickson), Mayfly Species Ephemerella invaria (Sulphur Dun), and True Fly Family Simuliidae (Black Flies).

There's a large Ephemerella subvaria nymph in the top left.

In this picture: Insect Order Trichoptera (Caddisflies), Mayfly Species Ephemerella invaria (Sulphur Dun), and Mayfly Species Ephemerella subvaria (Hendrickson).

This Ephemerella subvaria (Hendrickson) nymph picture is one of my favorites.

In this picture: Mayfly Species Ephemerella subvaria (Hendrickson).

This picture from below shows a stillborn (

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This stillborn Ephemerella subvaria dun is trapped in its shuck.

Stillborn: In fly fishing, a stillborn insect is one which got stuck in its nymphal or pupal shuck during emergence and floats helplessly on the surface instead of flying away. It is a specific class of cripple, although it is sometimes used interchangeably with that term.) Ephemerella subvaria (Hendrickson) dun drifting on the surface amidst a number of shed pupal skins from Brachycentrus caddisflies which were heavily hatching that day.

In this picture: Mayfly Species Ephemerella subvaria (Hendrickson) and Caddisfly Species Brachycentrus appalachia (Apple Caddis).

A variety of cased caddisfly larvae, probably mostly Neophylax, have clustered along the backside of a rock in fast water. There seem to be some Helicopsychidae larvae clustered along the bottom, and a few other taxa are mixed in. It's interesting that several larvae have especially large stones placed over the front openings of their cases, perhaps to block the case off for pupation.

It does seem to be the wrong time of year for Neophylax to be pupating, but that was the ID given for one of these which I collected and photographed up close.

In this picture: Caddisfly Genus Helicopsyche (Speckled Peters) and Caddisfly Genus Neophylax (Autumn Mottled Sedges).

Cased caddis larvae blanket this section of stream bottom.

In this picture: Insect Order Trichoptera (Caddisflies).