Mayfly confusion

[mcarney99]

On a recent trip to a northeast pa creek, Tricos and caddis were hatching an we found another bigger mayfly coming off that I’m having trouble identifying. I’ll try and add a picture but it doesn’t seem to ever want to work on here.

Body size was about #16
Body was white/clear
Thorax was tan,light brown
Eyes were huge and lime green.
2 very long tails

 

[mcarney99]

Can’t post a picture even after I downloaded a jpeg converter. it’s 2018 can someone look into getting this site up to speed with the entire rest of the Internet.

 

[redietz]

A male spinner of some sort. Can't help you with the green eyes at that size at this time of the year.

 

[DaveS]

My guess is a steno of some variety. Light Cahill to most guys.

( and check to see that you adequately reduced the file size to 150k when posting pics)

 

[Dave_W]

mcarney99 wrote:
Can’t post a picture even after I downloaded a jpeg converter. it’s 2018 can someone look into getting this site up to speed with the entire rest of the Internet.

Your photos need to be under 150 kb in order to upload them to this site.

 

[redietz]

DaveS wrote:
My guess is a steno of some variety. Light Cahill to most guys.

That was my thought with the green eyes, but it's too late in the year and size 16 is too small. (Unless a full summer of high water interfered with hatches.)

 

[sandfly]

paraleps (blue quill) hatch in fall along with earlier in season

 

[afishinado]

There's not a whole lot of different mayflies hatching right now. Could be a Hebe Spinner. Right time of year and size. Exact colors of insects often vary from stream to stream. Also colors may change a bit with each stage > dun hatching and molting into spinner leading into the end of their life cycle.

Hebe Pics > Troutnut

 

[mcarney99]

If someone sends me pm that can upload picture I can text them the pictures I got. I just can’t see to resize them on my phone. I’d love to get them up here and get an exact answer

 

[DaveS]

PM sent

 

[DaveS]

Here's the bug in question:

 

[Dave_W]

Wow. Interesting - looks transparent and definitely big green eyes with mottled legs.

Hhhmmm.... Beats me.

It looks like many of the mystery mayflies I see around street lights near the Susky on summer evenings; lots of different white or whitish spinners.

 

[jifigz]

I've seen many of those exact mayflies where I live this time of the year. I have no idea what it is but I'm terrible at identifying most all mayflies. Insect ID is a very small part of my fly fishing...I wish that I was better at it.

 

[afishinado]

Likely a Cream Cahill (Maccaffertium modestum) Spinner

http://www.troutnut.com/specimen/295

http://www.troutnut.com/specimen/547

 

[Dave_W]

afishinado wrote:
Likely a Cream Cahill (Maccaffertium modestum) Spinner

I think we may have a winner.

This one appears to have a completlely clear wing which is why I didn't think Cahill. However, the photo provided may have the wing folded back in such a way as to obscure the markings. And the eyes and brightly colored thorax are pronounced. In Afish's photo from Troutnut, the dun has the bright green eyes.

Still a tough call, but I think Cream Cahill is probably correct.

Thanks DaveS for helping with the photo - good stuff.

 

[NewSal]

cool lookin bug, anyone else love tying long, split tails?

 

[redietz]

afishinado wrote:
Likely a Cream Cahill (Maccaffertium modestum) Spinner

A bit late in the year, isn't it? (I've seen them as late as September, though.)

 

[DaveS]

It was frickin 80F here just last week. That hatch chart is a general guide only.

 

[mcarney99]

Thanks Dave S for helping get the picture up. Thanks for all the responses.

 

[redietz]

I'm not looking at a hatch chart. I've just never seen them past early September (and I fish in the fall a lot.)