Mayfly Species Maccaffertium ithaca (Light Cahill)
Taxonomic Navigation -?-
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
» Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
» Class Insecta (Insects)
» Order Ephemeroptera (Mayflies)
» Family Heptageniidae (March Browns, Cahills, Quill Gordons)
» Genus Maccaffertium (March Browns and Cahills)
» Species ithaca (Light Cahill)
Common Names
| Match | Common Name |
 | Light Cahill |
 | Pale Sulphur Dun |
| Light Cahill Spinner |
| Dark Cahill |
| Ginger Quill Spinner |
 | Cahill |
| Cream Dun |
Where & When
Regions: East, Midwest
Time Of Year (?): June through early September; peaks in late June
Preferred Waters: Medium to large streams
This is primarily an Eastern species, but a couple books report that it produces fishable action in the Midwest as well.Time Of Year (?): June through early September; peaks in late June
Preferred Waters: Medium to large streams
Hatching Behavior
Time Of Day (?): Often spread out all day long; compressed toward dusk in hot weather
This species emerges much more gracefully than Maccaffertium vicarium, so emerger patterns are not as important. The duns are better to match, since they may drift for quite a while time to dry their wings and make a commotion getting off the water. Caucci and Nastasi report in Hatches II that their stomach samples verify this preference for the duns.
Spinner Behavior
Time Of Day: Late afternoon to dusk, depending on weather
Habitat: Riffles
The spinners fall spent (Spent: The wing position of many aquatic insects when they fall on the water after mating. The wings of both sides lay flat on the water. The word may be used to describe insects with their wings in that position, as well as the position itself.) to the water to lay their eggs.Habitat: Riffles
Nymph Biology
Current Speed: Riffles and runsSubstrate: Gravel
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