Freshwater Invertebrate Underwater Pictures, Page 9

Three big Ephemerella subvaria mayfly nymphs share a rock with some cased caddis larvae.

In this picture: Mayfly Species Ephemerella subvaria (Hendrickson) and Saddle-case Maker Genus Glossosoma (Little Brown Short-horned Sedges).

I got a nice picture of the pool these salamander larvae inhabit a few weeks later.

In this picture: Amphibian Order Caudata (Salamanders).

There's a stonefly nymph in the bottom right corner of this picture, but what's really interesting is those white blotches. They're pretty common in my Wisconsin home river river, stuck flat onto the rocks--lots of rocks have a speckled look as a result. They are microcaddis cases, made by larvae of the caddisfly family Hydroptilidae. These are made by larvae of the subfamily Leucotrichiinae, most likely the genus Leucotrichia. They spin little flat oval cases of silk tight and immobile against the rocks.

In this picture: Caddisfly Species Leucotrichia pictipes (Ring Horn Microcaddis).

A large school of water boatman swims over a strange purple substance at a crystal clear spring.

In this picture: True Bug Family Corixidae (Water Boatmen).