Mayfly Genus Caenis (Angler's Curses)
Taxonomic Navigation -?-
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
» Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
» Class Insecta (Insects)
» Order Ephemeroptera (Mayflies)
» Family Caenidae (Angler's Curses)
» Genus Caenis (Angler's Curses)
| Species in Caenis | ||
| Caenis amicaAngler's Curse | 0 | 0 |
| Caenis hilarisAngler's Curse | 0 | 0 |
| Caenis latipennisAngler's Curse | 0 | 0 |
| Caenis tardataAngler's Curse | 0 | 0 |
8 species aren't included.
Common Names
| Match | Common Name |
| Angler's Curses | |
| Little White Spinners | |
| Little White Mayflies | |
| Tiny White-Winged Curses | |
| White-Winged Sulphurs |
They very rarely elicit selective feeding, but when they do they're very tough to match because they're often much smaller than size 28. This difficulty has earned them the nickname "Angler's Curse."
Where & When
Time Of Year (?): June through early September; best in June and July
Preferred Waters: Rivers and lakes
Most Caenis mayflies emerge in the evenings when other, larger mayflies are abundant on the water. This limits their importance.Preferred Waters: Rivers and lakes
Hatching Behavior
Caenis mayflies typically emerge, molt into spinners, mate, and oviposit within one hour.Nymph Biology
Substrate: Silt, weeds
Every book says pools and stagnant back-waters are the prime habitats of these nymphs. This is probably true, but I have often found them in gravel, vegetation, and other habitats. They have operculate (Operculate: Lidlike; usually used to describe the pair of enlarged elytroid gills (called the operculum) which some silt-dwelling mayfly nymphs like Caenis and Eurylophella have developed to shield their other gills from debris.) gills adapted to survival on silty bottoms.9 Mayfly Specimens in the Genus Caenis:
Caenis (Angler's Curses) Mayfly Nymph
View 4 Pictures
View 4 PicturesRegion: Upper Midwest
Collected Jun 8, 2005
Added May 26, 2006
Caenis (Angler's Curses) Mayfly Nymph
View 3 Pictures
View 3 PicturesRegion: Upper Midwest
Collected Jun 5, 2005
Added May 25, 2006
Caenis (Angler's Curses) Mayfly Nymph
View 2 PicturesI confirmed the identity of this nymph by looking at it under a microscope to be certain of the shape of its gills and head.
View 2 PicturesI confirmed the identity of this nymph by looking at it under a microscope to be certain of the shape of its gills and head.Region: Upper Midwest
Collected Jan 31, 2004
Added Jan 25, 2006

