**Mayfly Species Paraleptophlebia mollis (Blue Quill)**

Mayflies

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Taxonomic Navigation -?-

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

» Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

» Class Insecta (Insects)

» Order Ephemeroptera (Mayflies)

» Family Leptophlebiidae (Black Quills and Blue Quills)

» Genus Paraleptophlebia (Blue Quills)

» Species mollis (Blue Quill)

Common Names

Match	Common Name
	Blue Quill
	Jenny Spinner
	Paralep
	Mahogany Dun
	Slate-Winged Mahogany Dun
	Blue Dun
	Gray Quill
	Iron Blue Dun
	Blue-Winged Dun
	Iron Blue Quill

Pictures Below ↓

This species often emerges together with Paraleptophlebia strigula and Paraleptophlebia guttata, and the combined effect can be a good fishable hatch. The latter two are much less famous than mollis, but Knopp and Cormier say they are more reliable.

Where & When

Regions: East, Midwest
Time Of Year (?): Late May through August; best in June

This species begins to emerge soon after Paraleptophlebia adoptiva has finished.

Hatching Behavior

Time Of Day (?): Late morning to midday

The duns ride the surface for a long time before flying away. The Leonards report in Mayflies of Michigan Trout Streams that trout feed heavily on Paraleptophlebia mollis duns.

Spinner Behavior

Time Of Day: Late afternoon

The male spinners have a unique look: most of their abdominal segments are white.

Nymph Biology

Current Speed: Slow
Environmental Tolerance: Tolerant of warm water

1 Mayfly Specimen in the Species Paraleptophlebia mollis:

Paraleptophlebia mollis (Blue Quill) Mayfly Dun

View 6 Pictures

Region: Upper Midwest

Collected Jun 8, 2005

Added May 26, 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.

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.

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.

Schwiebert, Ernest G. 1955. Matching the Hatch. MacMillan Publishing Company.

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