Another mayfly ID.

[gfen]

Sporadic appearances of these guys, recently. I'm still trying to bone up on the basic identification side of things, so I don't know.

Its big, I'd say size 10 or 12. Two tails. Light belly, darker on top. Wings very light and distinctly black eyes.

Today one came in for a landing and let me grab a few snaps:

Blurry.

Not as blurry.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4598758693_3debf4d80c.jpg

 

[afishinado]

Really hard to tell anything from the pic. From your description, a March Brown Spinner.

 

[pcray1231]

yeah, I'll go with a MB as well, except that gfen's picture appears to be a dun, not a spinner.

 

[gfen]

Wings up, not down. Makes it a dun, not a spinner no?

Anyways, I presumed MB but the pictures I saw didn't seem to fit the pattern as it was definatly a creamier yellow underneath and seemed to lack the clearly defined varigation in the wings.

 

[jayL]

gfen wrote:
Wings up, not down. Makes it a dun, not a spinner no?

Nope.

Spinners will have upright wings when at rest. The wings are "spent" when they fall dead (or dying) on the water. When they're healthy -- cruising around and landing on stuff (like arms, trees, etc), the wings are upright. The wings go spent when they're running out of life.

Look for long tails and clear wings.

 

[ryguyfi]

Jay is right. There is a transformation of the adult from a Dun to a Spinner while they are alive. It is something that I as a beginner was very confused on too. When they emerge into adults they will have a "dun" color on their wings, then they transform to the spinner which has a clear wing... then they mate die and lay spent on the water which is the spent wing spinner you are referencing.

 

[pcray1231]

yeah, I was going by the color of the wings. They're a little translucent, but not transparant, and they appear "dun" colored to me. It's a poor picture for that kind of judgement, so I'm not sure.

 

[gfen]

Someone else suggested hexagenia spp.

 

[troutslammer]

lighter on the bottom and darker ontop and a size 10-12 , march brown would be my guess

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

http://www.troutnut.com/hatch/30/Mayfly-Hexagenia

I doubt it im thinking its a March Brown. Were you near the River? I have seen Hexagenia on the SusQ River.

 

[ryguyfi]

I've seen the Hex's off of the Beaver River here. They are a legit sz 4-6. Just a massive bug. I do not think it's a hex. I will put my vote in for March Brown.