Troutnut Forum > Get Bugs Identified > ?Perlodidae?
Sundula has attached these 3 pictures to aid in identification. The message is below.
View Full Size (5X larger)
View Full Size (4.1X larger)
View Full Size (4.1X larger)
| Sundula | September 12th, 2006, 7:08 pm | |
| Littleton, Colorado Posts: 34 | This one I beleive I have nailed down I just want to be sure, I have been using Jim Schollmeyer's "Hatch Guide For Western Streams" for my identification. I'm going with: Family: Perlodidae Genus: Isoperla Little Yellow Stonefly nymph (Yellow Sally), please enlighten me if I'm incorrect. | |
|
These advertisements will disappear if you register. | ||
| GONZO | September 12th, 2006, 11:12 pm | |
| "Bear Swamp," PA Posts: 876 | Sorry to disagree with your identification, but this appears to be an immature specimen of the Perlidae--not Perlodidae. Take heart though, you are not the first to confuse them. Both families include strongly marked black-and-yellow or brown-and-yellow nymphs. Perlodid nymphs are usually more slender and cylindrical; but the best general guidelines for distinguishing them are three words from Ken Stewart's description in Stoneflies for the Angler (Leiser and Boyle)--"gill-less," "waxy," and "non-hairy." (Some Perlodid nymphs do have simple unbranched gills, but they are not as obvious as the branched gills that project from all three thoracic segments, as in your specimen.) Rather than a "yellow sally," you have a "golden stone." I won't hazard much beyond that because I am not as familiar with the Western members of the Perlidae as I am with their Eastern relatives. I suspect that Taxon could pick up where I left off. Hope that helps. | |
| Troutnut | September 12th, 2006, 11:31 pm | |
| Fairbanks, AK Posts: 1115 | Gonzo's right -- this is Perlidae. It's easy to tell them apart at a glance from the general shape once you've seen lots of them, but it's hard at first. The main distinguishing characteristic you can use at first is that Perlidae nymphs have branched, filamentous gills (or "fluffy") gills on the sides/bottom of the thorax. Perlodidae and the related Chloroperlidae nymphs have either no gills there or simple non-fluffy gills. After you've seen lots of them, the characteristics Gonzo described give it away at a glance. Perlodidae nymphs have a more clean, slender look. Start out browsing the pictures of the nymphs on my Perlidae and Perlodidae pages... that should give you a sense of the general shapes. | |
| Jason Neuswanger The Troutnut | ||
| Sundula | September 12th, 2006, 11:55 pm | |
| Littleton, Colorado Posts: 34 | Thank you both for the help,I am still very new at the specific identification of aquatic insects or any insect for that matter. I have only begun to collect them, and I value your knowledge and experience. I look forward to incorrectly identifying many more in the quest to refine my understanding of that mysterious world I find myself submerged in. Bear with me, and again thank you. | |
| Troutnut | September 13th, 2006, 12:58 am | |
| Fairbanks, AK Posts: 1115 | Hey, that's what this site is for. :) I wouldn't have made it if everybody already knew their bugs. The whole point is to learn. Of course, Taxon and I and the others here who "know our bugs" will be the first to tell you that there's a lot more we don't know than what we do know. That's the great thing about this sport. There's always more interesting stuff to get into and figure out. | |
| Jason Neuswanger The Troutnut | ||
New features!
