Insect ID Please

[Rusty_Shackelford]

These are a few of the most common mayfly, stonefly, and caddis larva from my local stream and was wondering if anyone could tell me what I'm looking at as far as species? or is it nearly impossible to tell from a photo? Will the adult caddis be the same color as the larva? The green caddis larva not in a dish is the only one found in a casing, the rest were all in rock structures clinging to the bottom of stream rocks. I know enough to tell the 3 types apart but not enough to ID them.

 

[redietz]

Not down to species level, but in the first photo, the mayfly at the bottom is one of the "clinger" type nymph, such as a March Brown or Light Cahill. The stonefly is some sort of golden stone.

 

[Rusty_Shackelford]

redietz wrote:
Not down to species level, but in the first photo, the mayfly at the bottom is one of the "clinger" type nymph, such as a March Brown or Light Cahill. The stonefly is some sort of golden stone.

Thank you, that's just the kind of description I'm looking for.

 

[Dave_W]

redietz wrote:
Not down to species level, but in the first photo, the mayfly at the bottom is one of the "clinger" type nymph, such as a March Brown or Light Cahill. The stonefly is some sort of golden stone.

Agree. ^

 

[Dave_W]

I circled the stonefly nymphs in green. They're perlids ("golden" stones).

The mayflies, which I think are march browns, are red; the yellow critter is a leech, and the fish circled in pink is tough to ID but likely a dace or darter of some make and model.

The green caddis outside the dish is a tough call but I'd guess a grannom as their larva are bright green. Was the case one of those little, dark, square sided tubes? If so, you probably have a grannom.

 

[redietz]

redietz wrote:
Not down to species level, but in the first photo, the mayfly at the bottom is one of the "clinger" type nymph, such as a March Brown or Light Cahill. The stonefly is some sort of golden stone.

Sorry - SECOND picture (unless the order changed.)

 

[Dave_W]

There's also a scud...

 

[jifigz]

Is this from a wild trout stream? Or is it a warm water stream that is stocked with trout? I only ask because immediately the critter that caught my eye the most was the assumed leech that I saw. I have never encountered a leech in a wild trout stream around me. The Juniata river is a different story, however, and I've pulled more than a few from my legs from wet wading.

 

[redietz]

jifigz wrote:
I have never encountered a leech in a wild trout stream around me.

I have. Not many, but some.

 

[Rusty_Shackelford]

Dave_W wrote:
I circled the stonefly nymphs in green. They're perlids ("golden" stones).

The mayflies, which I think are march browns, are red; the yellow critter is a leech, and the fish circled in pink is tough to ID but likely a dace or darter of some make and model.

The green caddis outside the dish is a tough call but I'd guess a grannom as their larva are bright green. Was the case one of those little, dark, square sided tubes? If so, you probably have a grannom.

You are correct, that fish is a type of Darter. Those green caddis larva are in small round tubes made from stream gravel, when you walk by they roll off the rocks, there are literally thousands.

 

[Rusty_Shackelford]

jifigz wrote:
Is this from a wild trout stream? Or is it a warm water stream that is stocked with trout? I only ask because immediately the critter that caught my eye the most was the assumed leech that I saw. I have never encountered a leech in a wild trout stream around me. The Juniata river is a different story, however, and I've pulled more than a few from my legs from wet wading.

It's a true trout stream, I get many native and brook trout out of it. Leeches are really uncommon but not unheard of, that's the only one i found out of a lot of flipped rocks. I have been wet wading the stream those came from for ~20 years and never had to remove a leech.

 

[troutbert]

Rusty_Shackelford wrote:

Dave_W wrote:
I circled the stonefly nymphs in green. They're perlids ("golden" stones).

The mayflies, which I think are march browns, are red; the yellow critter is a leech, and the fish circled in pink is tough to ID but likely a dace or darter of some make and model.

The green caddis outside the dish is a tough call but I'd guess a grannom as their larva are bright green. Was the case one of those little, dark, square sided tubes? If so, you probably have a grannom.

You are correct, that fish is a type of Darter. Those green caddis larva are in small round tubes made from stream gravel, when you walk by they roll off the rocks, there are literally thousands.

The caddis are probably these:

http://www.troutnut.com/specimen/651

That website is awesome for learning about aquatic insects.

 

[Rusty_Shackelford]

troutbert wrote:

Rusty_Shackelford wrote:

Dave_W wrote:
I circled the stonefly nymphs in green. They're perlids ("golden" stones).

The mayflies, which I think are march browns, are red; the yellow critter is a leech, and the fish circled in pink is tough to ID but likely a dace or darter of some make and model.

The green caddis outside the dish is a tough call but I'd guess a grannom as their larva are bright green. Was the case one of those little, dark, square sided tubes? If so, you probably have a grannom.

You are correct, that fish is a type of Darter. Those green caddis larva are in small round tubes made from stream gravel, when you walk by they roll off the rocks, there are literally thousands.

The caddis are probably these:

http://www.troutnut.com/specimen/651

That website is awesome for learning about aquatic insects.

Sure looks like it, I have visited the site in the past. Thank you for helping out.

 

[afishinado]

troutbert wrote:

Rusty_Shackelford wrote:

Dave_W wrote:
I circled the stonefly nymphs in green. They're perlids ("golden" stones).

The mayflies, which I think are march browns, are red; the yellow critter is a leech, and the fish circled in pink is tough to ID but likely a dace or darter of some make and model.

The green caddis outside the dish is a tough call but I'd guess a grannom as their larva are bright green. Was the case one of those little, dark, square sided tubes? If so, you probably have a grannom.

You are correct, that fish is a type of Darter. Those green caddis larva are in small round tubes made from stream gravel, when you walk by they roll off the rocks, there are literally thousands.

The caddis are probably these:

http://www.troutnut.com/specimen/651

That website is awesome for learning about aquatic insects.

Several caddis larva look like this (color). No doubt a reason why the green weenie works so well in many trout streams.