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> I.D. my passenger please

Flatstick96	April 9th, 2010, 10:29 am
Posts: 114	So when I got into my car to drive to work this AM, this guy was sitting on the passenger's side front seat. You don't see many of his sort 'round these here parts, so I thought I'd snap a few pics when I got to work, in the hopes that maybe one of you could identify this hitchhiker. He's missing one leg, but he's alive - doesn't move though unless I touch him (and then only barely).
Taxon	April 9th, 2010, 1:18 pm
Site Editor Mercer Island, WA Posts: 921	Flatstick- It would seem your he is actually a she. Your gorgeous photos are of a female imago of family Heptageniidae. The crowded cross veins at bulla suggest Stenonema femoratum to me, but it seems rather early for their first emergence unless you are from a southern state, so perhaps not.
	Roger Rohrbeck www.FlyfishingEntomology.com
Flatstick96	April 9th, 2010, 3:14 pm
Posts: 114	Thanks for the help. I thought it might be a she, actually - but I really wasn't sure... I'm in Austin, TX - and this is definitely the first mayfly I've ever seen here. I've let it hang out on my desk today, as sort of a "reminder of home" (the people in my office are now convinced I'm nuts). It's weird, but seeing this thing in my car today brightened my mood noticeably, and having it around all day has made me feel good. I guess it kinda makes sense; for me, mayflies conjure up all sorts of positive images/memories of home, engaging in the one activity I enjoy above all others - trout fishing...
Taxon	April 10th, 2010, 7:41 am
Site Editor Mercer Island, WA Posts: 921	Flatstick- You may need to look a bit closer, as there are ~108 mayfly species reported from TX.
	Roger Rohrbeck www.FlyfishingEntomology.com
Flatstick96	April 10th, 2010, 9:20 pm
Posts: 114	I can think of some places here where they would likely live, but not many near me (and none in my immediate vicinity) - that's why finding one inside my car kinda caught me off guard. Do they typically fly very far from wherever they emerge?
Taxon	April 10th, 2010, 10:03 pm
Site Editor Mercer Island, WA Posts: 921	Flatstick- No, not typically, although some species are reported to fly upstream several miles prior to oviposition. Under normal circumstances, I would assume there must be a source of moving water fairly close to where you found it, as Heptageniid nymphs cling to the underside rocks or other flat surfaces in slow to moderate current. However, your friend seems to have developed the habit of hitchhiking, so who knows.
	Roger Rohrbeck www.FlyfishingEntomology.com

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