Ethan Bright

Nice photo. It's a libellulid dragonfly nymph, probably a species of Libellula or Ladona; species determination requires a clearer examination of certain physical features that are not apparent in the photograph. Cheers, Ethan

The picture is an owlfly (Neuroptera: Ascalaphidae), perhaps Ululodes? (As already stated, it's not a dragonfly: note 1) wings are folded behind the back, which odonates cannot do; and 2) long, multi-segmented antennae, where they are minute in Odonata). Life stages of all North American Neuroptera, including the owlfly above, are terrestrial, BUT the most (phylogenetically) basal group of Neuroptera, the Nevrorthidae (found in the Mediterranean, eastern Asia, and Australia), have aquatic larvae (and some pupae). They are found among aquatic vegetation and under rocks in swift-moving streams, and I suspect ancestrally the group radiated into a fully terrestrial environment. Grimaldi and Engel's 2005 book (Evolution of the Insects, which I highly recommend) has some lovely pictures of fossil and living Neuropterans. Cheers, Ethan

Roger is most likely correct on the large exuviae, even to species! The small ones I bet are a species of Isoperla, perhaps transmarina. Cheers, Ethan

Heads up: Merritt, Cummins, and Berg (eds.), "An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America, Fourth Edition," is heading for the presses. I received an email from Bioquip advertising a 10% discount for advanced orders: http://www.bioquip.com/specials/book_special.asp The new editor - Marty Berg - is a great entomologist who, like me, studies chironomids, and does a lot of work with trophic interactions and Great Lake ecology. As stated in previous posts, there will be lots of updates, mostly for the holometabolous insects, but there are changes for the mayflies (especially Baetidae and Heptageniidae). When I get my copy, I'll try to write a review for the group. The price may appear steep, but it's pretty much par for this kind of book. It should be relevant for another 10 years or so. Good thing it's coming out now, because my 3rd Edition is starting to fall apart. (The big problem with spiral-bound books - the thin pages eventually tear). Cheers, Ethan

Fly1 says I can attached a PDF to my post. Hopefully this will work so people can just get it from here, rather than just contacting me via email. So here it goes!

If were from Michigan, it would look like our Ephemera simulans. Attached is a scan from Burks' "The Mayflies, or Ephemeroptera, of Illinois," which despite being over 50 years old is priceless. Cheers, Ethan

I know several people have expressed interest in aquatic insect reintroductions into streams. There's an interesting article in the recent Freshwater Biological Association newsletter (37 Spring 2007) pertaining to the reintroduction of Ephemera danica to the River Wey in Britain. I know this would interest those who fish in that part of the world, and those who are also involved in insect relocations elsewhere (e.g., Salmonfly relocations in the Logan River). I have a PDF of the file - for those interested, send me an email (or message here in the forum), and I'll get you a copy. Cheers, Ethan

The following book is for sale at Paleopublications (http://www.paleopubs.com/apr07.htm): 49459. Hynes, H. B. The Ecology of Running Waters. University of Toronto Press, 1970, , 555 pages with illustrations. Hardbound with dust jacket, James C. Roth book plate, very good condition. $33.75 I already own a copy, so I'm not going to compete (otherwise I wouldn't tell you!). Although it's over 35 years old, if you're interested in stream ecology, I highly recommend owning this book. It is very-well written, and is considered a classic in its field. Although an academic book, many of Hynes' observations are from the fly-fishing point-of-view, and it's very readable. The re-printed paperback is over US $60.

Just wanted to let you know that a copy of Hitchcock's 1974 Connecticut Plecoptera book is for sale on eBay. The item number is 170065070882, and if you type "Plecoptera" in the search area, you should come up with the book. The auction ends on 03 Jan 2007. I am not the seller of this book (I already have a copy), but I figure some of you might be interested in this excellent book on northeastern stoneflies. Note that it is dated, both in terms of the taxonomy and nomenclature, but there's still a lot of very useful information contained in the volume. Cheers, Ethan

Would you happen to have a link to this video, from which I can download it? It would be interesting to view it. Cheers, Ethan

>What are Tergites and Sternites? I'm guessing they are abdominal segments?> Terga and sterna are the dorsal (top) and ventral (bottom) scleritized plates of the insects thorax and abdomen. The thorax is divided into three parts - pro- (joins the head), meso-, and metathorax (joins with the abdomen). Each thoracic segment has a tergite, or top plate, and bottom sternite (or bottom plate). There are also side plates - pleura - that are often highly differentiated and with a cornucopia of terms. The abdomen is likewise divided into top, (often middle), and bottom plates. (There are pleura, but these are often greatly modified or not visible/or lost). Remember - insects incorporate incredible diversity and evolutionary history, so plates can may be fused, greatly modified, or lost. Sandfly bob's picture - the stonefly nymph on the person's finger is most likely Acroneuria sp. (Perlidae). The adult is also not Pteronarcys, also a perlid, perhaps the same genus (but I can't make it out).

It would also be interesting to know the functional feeding groups the EPT. If there would abundant simuliids, which implied sufficient suspended organic matter and, by relation, sufficient periphyton/aufwuchs upon substrates, then I'd guess there would be a lot of net-spinning, grazing caddis (e.g., hydropsychids and philopotamids), and grazing/scraping mayflies and stoneflies (e.g., heptageniids, capniids). In terms of midges, I'd suspect a lot of Rheotanytarsus, Micropsectra, and Cricopotus/Orthocladius, depending upon the temperature/flow regime. Primary and secondary productivity, as measured by dry-weight biomass, may or may not be positively correlated to biodiversity. Invertebrate biodiversity can decrease because of fish predation; the converse may be true. Another statistics mentioned - eveness - indicates just a few species dominating, which according to some ecological models indicates the lack of disturbance. The presence of Hyallela aztecta probably indicates the proximity of the reservoir, which may mirror more a lentic than a lotic ecosystem. The presence of simuliids - very often found in huge numbers immediately downstream of a reservoir, lake, or pond - may also reflect this observation. Thus, it might be argued that MORE simulated disturbance - unregulated flows - might be called for, in order for the river to fluvially act like a river. One can then look to see if rarer invertebrate species come more common, and the dominate species become less abundant, and represent less of the total per area biomass. But, of course, I'm not there, so I can only arm-chair speculate. And I don't know what the management targets that determine what's a good river from a bad one. Nightfish, thanks for the interesting note!

Just wanted to let you know a new publication on stoneflies has been published: Stewart and Oswood. 2006. Stoneflies (Plecoptera) of Alaska and Western Canada. Caddis Press: Columbus, Ohio. It's a really nice book, with info on adults and nymphs. Although targeted at the areas in the title, it's probably very useful for those in the northwestern part of the conterminous USA. Contact Brian Armitage ([email protected]) if you want to purchase. (It's about $70). Cheers, Ethan

Phylogenetic relationships within Arachnida, including the Solifugae: http://www.tolweb.org/Arachnida. They're a large group, including species in the southwestern USA. Cheers, Ethan

This is indeed a Northern mole cricket. Michigan has one native species, Neocurtilla h. hexadactula (Perty), 1832. What's cool is this species is semi-aquatic, burrowing in moist or saturated soils along ponds, marshes, and streams. Great specimen. Do you still have it? Cheers, Ethan

Ephemera guttata does NOT occur in Michigan. I was referring to Litobrancha recurvata, which does occur in Michigan. (And, Litobrancha recurvata used to be known as Ephemera recurvata, until Litobrancha was raised to genus by McCafferty in 1971. This may be confusing , but at least there's literature by which one can reference ). BTW, I was doing some surfing of fly-fishing sites, and apparently "Green Drake" is a confusing definition. It can refer to Ephemera guttata in the east, or several species of Drunella in the west. This is why I always communicate with scientific names; although confusing and difficult to memorize for some, it is always unambiguous as to the species in question (and it allows reference to scientific literature). Also, I don't fish enough. So, perhaps, it's time to standardize (at least in US English) the names with the scientific names. The Dragonfly Society of the Americas (especially by Dennis Paulson), and a group of stonefly researchers led by Bill Stark and Ken Stewart, have done this for dragonflies and stoneflies, respectively. You can call this group the "Green Drake Society." Or, has this already been done? Cheers, Ethan

OK, I have a PDF copy of the article. If you'd like a copy, just send me an email at [email protected] and I'll attached a copy. Cheers, Ethan

As "steelie" indicates, Litobrancha recurvata occurs in Michigan. I've collected seen this species from at least 10 different localities in Michigan, both in northern and southern Michigan. Associated with cold-water trout streams, but also from springs no wider than 0.5 m. I often find nymphs with a red coating, the oxidation of ferrous iron-rich groundwater as it loses partial pressure when coming into the stream channel. I also commonly find nymphs in sandy and detrital substrates. BTW, I found that Wang and McCafferty article, and I'll try to scan it and distribute it to those who are interested. Cheers, Ethan

Hi all, I will try to get over to the entomology library in the next week and get that article. (I've already seen it). I will "distribute" it to those who desire it. (You can also ask Pat McCafferty at Purdue Entomology for a PDF reprint - he's great about that). The fact that the two taxa are found in the same place, emerge at the same time, and differ only in patterns and color, is an indication of interspecific variation that do not represent reproductive isolation. I don't know how strong the correlation between color pattern and water chemistry is, as the Virginia Tech person implies, but McCafferty and his students and collaborators (e.g., Waltz, Kondriatieff, etc.) have done a very good documenting the variation of characters and patterns among taxa across different parts of their range. And intercorrelated with this geography are differences in temperature, chemistry, and fluvial hydrology. This has been the case with many of the speciose heptageniids, baetids, and ephemerellids. On the other hand, researchers have, over the past 30 years or so, really done a good, thorough job in studying minute details (observable only under high magnification) that permit elucidating systematic relationships. An example of this is Steven Burian's work whereby to differentiate nymphs of leptaphlebiids requires dissection and observation of details at magnifications of >100x. So, details regarding fine-scale examination of morphological characters (and its variation) are trumping casual examination of color and cuticular pattern that are known to be sensitive to stream conditions. (It's late, so I'm rambling and repeating myself). When I make a copy, I'll let you know and then anyone requesting a copy can email me. (I don't think Pat would mind). Time to go to bed. Ethan

Another option is from the Xerces Society, a group dedicated to invertebrate conservation: http://www.xerces.org/aquatic/cd-rom.htm Cheers, Ethan

BTW, the spider picture above - looks (morphologically speaking, that is) very much like the spider that in the topic "I only have 4 of these cuties in my yard this year..., Spidey." Could they indicate where this spider was located? (General geographic location, that is). Cheers, Ethan

Excellent photo of the subimago and imago. (Ephemeroptera is the only insect order with a winged immature stage, i.e., a winged immature undergoes one final molt to the reproductive adult stage). Hey Roger, the expert hatch guy, would you say this is Isonychia bicolor? They usually come out in August and September in Lower Peninsula trout streams (e.g., Pere Marquette River). (I always need a specimen on hand, and often under the microscope, to make good IDs). Cheers, Ethan

Follow-up to my previous post - Octogomphus, which is found in western North America (CA-WA) - also has a spatulate 3rd antennal segment.

Taxon wrote: "With each identification attempted, I usually learn something. However, at times it feels a bit like stripping an evergreen tree, one needle at a time." Roger, welcome to the world of aquatic entomology and taxonomy!!!! You've summed it up magnificently - I've got to keep this quote and use it with students. Maybe you'd like to try midges? Gomphids can be quite difficult, particularly the Gomphus complex, Ophiogomphus, and Stylurus. Regarding the divergent wingpads, the only ones we (in Michigan) have to worry about are Progomphus and Ophiogomphus (although Erpetogomphus may occur in the extreme southwestern part of the state if a population of E. designatus is still extant). The only gomphids with the "spatulate" 3rd antennal segment are Hagenius brevistylus (which no one can miss, there's nothing in North America like it - see picture below), Stylogomphus (which has recently been split (I think by Carl Cook) into two species, but the ones in Michigan are S. albistylus), and Lanthus (the latter which does NOT occur in Michigan). They're really handsome nymphs, and usually are plentiful in coarse substrate repleate with small woody and/or leafy detrital matter. In Marquette Co., Michigan, they emerge around the latter part of July, and usually during the day. I've observed ecdysis usually around mid-day, and teneral adults hang low close to the ground on vegetation or overhanding structures of the river bank. So, since they appear to emerge during the day, perhaps one of you clever flyfishers might make an immitation and try it? They do make a hearty treat for a hungry brookie! I'll try to post some more pictures as time permits - it's pretty easy taking images with my SLR and microscope cameras, and the world of insects is SO interesting. Cheers, Ethan

I guess it's too easy...