» Family Ephemerellidae (Hendricksons, Sulphurs, PMDs, BWOs)
3 genera (Caurinella, Dentatella, Tsalia)
aren't included.
Common Name
This is page 17 of specimens of Ephemerellidae. Visit the main Ephemerellidae page for:
- The behavior and habitat of Ephemerellidae.
- 37 underwater pictures of Ephemerellidae.
Pictures of 271 Mayfly Specimens in the Family Ephemerellidae:
Ephemerellidae (Hendricksons, Sulphurs, PMDs, BWOs) Mayfly Nymph
View 2 PicturesClose examination of this specimen under a microscope reveals that it has small rounded tubercles (
A few (not all) of the abdominal tubercles on this
Ephemerella needhami nymph are circled. They are especially large in this species.
Tubercle: Various peculiar little bumps or projections on an insect. Their character is important for the identification of many kinds of insects, such as the nymphs of Ephemerellidae mayflies.) on the tergites (Tergite: The top (dorsal) part of a single segment on an insect's abdomen when it consists of a single chitinous plate (sclerite), or an individual sclerite if the segment has more than one.) and the tails are uniformly covered with short black hairs. Looking at this specimen a while later, my early observations were probably not relevant because it was such as small early instar (Instar: Many invertebrates molt through dozens of progressively larger and better-developed stages as they grow. Each of these stages is known as an instar. Hard-bodied nymphs typically molt through more instars than soft-bodied larvae.) mayfly that its identifying characteristics were not fully developed. Female Penelomax septentrionalis Mayfly Dun
View 10 PicturesI'm confident this dun belongs to septentrionalis, because her legs are just too long for any other Ephemerellid, and her unusual mid-dorsal (Dorsal: Top.) stripe matches those of two easily identified nymphs I collected some miles downstream.
This really pretty mayfly was in kind of bad shape when I found it crippled on the surface, and bouncing around in my container with a bunch of green drakes didn't help.