**Mayfly Species Siphloplecton basale (Pseudo-Gray Drake)**

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Taxonomic Navigation -?-

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

» Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

» Class Insecta (Insects)

» Order Ephemeroptera (Mayflies)

» Family Metretopodidae (Pseudo-Gray Drakes)

» Genus Siphloplecton (Pseudo-Gray Drakes)

» Species basale (Pseudo-Gray Drake)

Common Names

Match	Common Name
	Pseudo-Gray Drake
	Great Speckled Spinner
	Great Speckled Olive Dun

Pictures Below ↓

Sadly, the largest mayflies of the early season come in small quantities. Siphloplecton basale matches the impressive size of the Ephemera drakes which follow two months later, but it does not match their numbers. It is common on one of my favorite rivers to see ten to fifteen of these elegant drakes dancing over a riffle in the early Spring. They are difficult to miss in the air, but on the water that quantity cannot get the trout or the angler excited.

There are rumors of fishable Siphloplecton days, but I know none of the details. They might be locally important in places angler-entomologists have yet to visit in the prime months, an unsung local treasure like Baetisca laurentina.

Where & When

Regions: East, Midwest, West
Time Of Year (?): Late April through May

The Pseudo-Gray Drakes hatch around the time of the more important Hendricksons (Ephemeralla subvaria) in late April and early May. I've seen them in large and small streams in northwest Wisconsin. I've also seen some large drakes flying in the Delaware system of the Catskills which I suspect were of this species, but I could not collect a specimen in the deep water.

The Leonards write in Mayflies of Michigan Trout Streams that Siphloplecton basale inhabits strong currents in medium to large rivers, but I have found the nymphs in good numbers in a silty pool in the slow-flowing headwaters of a small stream.

The Leonards also say the species may emerge through mid-July, which conflicts with other authors and my own observations.

Hatching Behavior

Time Of Day (?): Afternoon

This species emerges by crawling out onto shore, so the emerging duns are not important.

I once caught a dun drifting along on the surface, but it may have been blown in by the wind.

Spinner Behavior

Time Of Day: Evening
Habitat: Riffles

The females may drop their eggs from high above the water or land and rest of the surface to oviposit. They are a common sight in small numbers for a couple weeks on any given stretch.

The spinners are unusualy elegant gray and black mayflies.

Nymph Biology

Current Speed: Slow
Substrate: Gravel, weeds

Siphloplecton nymphs are extremely fast swimmers, every bit the equals of Isonychia. They may be mistaken for Siphlonurus nymphs at first glance, but they are larger, slightly thicker, and they have two claws on the front tarsus (

View Full Size

The tarsus of this Isonychia bicolor mayfly spinner is highlighted in red.

Tarsus: The often multi-segmented outer leg section of an insect, which attached to the tibia.).

I have not found a reference regarding their environmental tolerance, but in my studio they were much more sensitive to warm water than any other species, dying almost instantly in little photo stage tanks warmed by incandescent lights. That's one of many reasons why I switched to using a flash.

9 Mayfly Specimens in the Species Siphloplecton basale:

Specimen Page:12

Siphloplecton basale (Pseudo-Gray Drake) Mayfly Spinner

View 6 PicturesI went to great comical lengths to swipe this spinner from the air with a little aquarium net I carry with me while I'm fishing. Siphloplecton basale spinners fly fast and high over the riffles, and there are never very many of them, so they're difficult to catch.

Region: Upper Midwest

Collected May 8, 2004

Added Jan 25, 2006

Siphloplecton basale (Pseudo-Gray Drake) Mayfly Dun

View 5 PicturesThis one hatched on the same April Saturday that I saw the first Hendricksons of the season.

Region: Upper Midwest

Collected Apr 24, 2004

Added Jan 25, 2006

Siphloplecton basale (Pseudo-Gray Drake) Mayfly Nymph

View 4 PicturesThis nymph has double front tarsal claws (Tarsal claw: The claws at the tip of the tarsus, on an insect's "foot.") and double gills on the first three abdominal segments.

Region: Upper Midwest

Collected Mar 1, 2004

Added Jan 25, 2006

Specimen Page:12

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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.

Nymphs: The juvenile, underwater stages of mayflies, stoneflies, dragonflies, and damselflies and other aquatic insects whose juvenile stages are covered by hard exoskeletons. The word can also refer to the fishing flies which imitate these creatures, in which case it is used as a blanket term for flies imitating any underwater stage of an invertebrate (except for crayfish and leeches).

Oviposit: To lay eggs.

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.

Tarsal claws: The claws at the tip of the tarsus, on an insect's "foot."

View Full Size

The tarsus of this Isonychia bicolor mayfly spinner is highlighted in red.

Tarsus: The often multi-segmented outer leg section of an insect, which attached to the tibia.

Useful References:

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

Knopp, Malcolm and Robert Cormier. 1997. Mayflies: An Angler's Study of Trout Water Ephemeroptera . The Lyons Press.

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