**Mayfly Species Hexagenia atrocaudata (Late Hex)**

Mayflies

Caddisflies

Stoneflies

Taxonomic Navigation -?-

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

» Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

» Class Insecta (Insects)

» Order Ephemeroptera (Mayflies)

» Family Ephemeridae (Hexes and Big Drakes)

» Genus Hexagenia

» Species atrocaudata (Late Hex)

Common Names

Match	Common Name
	Late Hex
	Big Slate Drake
	Great Lead-Winged Drake
	Dark Rusty Spinner
	Black and Olive Dun

Pictures Below ↓

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.

Where & When

Regions: East, Midwest

Time Of Year (?): July and August

I have heard rumors of fishable hatches of this species in both Wisconsin and the Catskills. The duns and spinners have been a common sight for me on several Wisconsin rivers during August, but they have been too sparse to cause good rises.

I have had some luck with an imitation. Last year a very nice smallmouth bass rose to my atrocaudata spinner pattern as subtly as any trout.

Pictures of 3 Mayfly Specimens in the Species Hexagenia atrocaudata:

Male Hexagenia atrocaudata (Late Hex) Mayfly Spinner

View 12 Pictures

Collected July 24, 2005 from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on April 15, 2006

Female 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 the Teal River in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on April 14, 2006

Male Hexagenia atrocaudata (Late Hex) Mayfly Spinner

View 3 PicturesI found this spinner and a few of his friends bobbing above the river amidst a snowstorm hatch of white Ephoron flies.

Collected August 15, 2004 from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on January 25, 2006

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Jargon Defined:

Duns: 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.

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.

Useful References:

Arbona, Fred Jr. 1989. Mayflies, the Angler, and the Trout. Nick Lyons Books.

Caucci, Al and Nastasi, Bob. 2004. Hatches II. The Lyons Press.

Leonard, Justin W. and Fannie A. Leonard. 1962. Mayflies of Michigan Trout Streams. Cranbrook Institute of Science.