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  1. Mark Melton

    Timpanoga hecuba

    It was called Ephemerella hecuba subgenus Timpanoga until about 1990. The name Ephemerella was dropped as a genus and Timpanoga was applied. The following paper (1959) gives some additional information on the nymph. http://www.ephemeroptera-galactica.com/pubs/pub_a/puballenr1959p51.pdf
  2. Mark Melton

    Timpanoga hecuba

    Steve, I can't remember. It's been years since I observed them and I couldn't find any in a cursory search of specimens. I would assume they have at least a limited amount of movement. I did find a photo of a nymph covered in debris though. https://joycegross.com/images.php?img=2222_0939
  3. Mark Melton

    Timpanoga hecuba

    I imagine that the "spikeyness" would help to deter predators, along with it's width. In the creek where I found them the primary predators would be Caifornia roach, the fry of steelhead and coho, occasionally a steelhead that stayed over a year, sculpins, and dragonfly larvae. I suppose that...
  4. Mark Melton

    Timpanoga hecuba

    They're the operculae {singular-operculum} and gills. The operculum is on top of the gills and made of a horny substance, The gills are underneath, protected from silt and other detritus. The operculae are probably an adaptation due to the nymph almost always sitting on the bottom in slackwater...
  5. Mark Melton

    Timpanoga hecuba

    Hey Roger, Thanks for the compliment. You've certainly looked at many photos of macroinvertebrates. However I believe that almost anybody can take good photos of them with the cameras of today.
  6. Mark Melton

    Timpanoga hecuba

    The ones on top are operculae. They protect the gills from the silt and other irritants. The gills are underneath these. You can see a little bit of the gills poking out in the bottom picture.
  7. Mark Melton

    Timpanoga hecuba

    Usually found in pools or slackwater areas. The nymphs often have a coating of diatoms and silt on them. Size ranges from about 7-10 mm {not including tails) at maturity. These were collected in Mill Creek (tributary to the Russian River).
  8. Mark Melton

    Ephemerella maculata nymphs

    These nymphs are common in Palmer Creek and Felta Creek, tributaries to Mill Creek which is a tributary to the Russian River. Usually found in glides and fast water.
  9. Mark Melton

    First Stonefly of spring

    Looks like Skwala. https://theeveninghatch.com/the-invisible-imaginary-skwala https://bugguide.net/node/view/258802/bgimage
  10. Mark Melton

    Ecdyonurus nymphs parasitized by Symbiocladius

    Actually, they were modeled after wasp larvae. Here's one in action.
  11. Mark Melton

    Ecdyonurus nymphs parasitized by Symbiocladius

    These Ecdyonurus nymphs and their parasites were found in Mill Creek, a tributary of the Russian River. The Symbiocladius parasites are members of Diptera (fly family). I've only found them on Ecdyonurus nymphs although they are also found on Rhithrogena and Paraleptophlebia nymphs as well. They...
  12. Mark Melton

    Drunella flavilinea nymphs

    Not really, they're found in the same area, they all have the same sharp projections on the femur of the forelegs and the same sharp projections on the dorsal side of the abdomen. A lot of ephemerellids have color patterns that vary widely among individuals.
  13. Mark Melton

    Drunella flavilinea nymphs

    Drunella flavilinea nymphs are common in the Russian River from mid-February through May. They prefer areas of fast water and cobbled bottoms. There is quite a bit of color variation in these nymphs.
  14. Mark Melton

    Bug ID

    Crane fly, I think. https://news.arizona.edu/story/whats-all-crane-flies
  15. Mark Melton

    Recommend Reading

    I decided to order the book again after reading Steelhead Dave's account. There were some other articles and a youtube video that were interesting too. https://hakaimagazine.com/features/the-halibut-hook-revival/ http://arcadianabe.blogspot.com/2013/03/making-bentwood-halibut-hooks.html
  16. Mark Melton

    Backyard Wildlife

    Ensatina eschscholtzii https://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?where-genus=Ensatina&where-species=eschscholtzii&account=amphibiaweb Female Male Juveniles Female in defensive pose Female releasing toxin. Milky white on head and tail. Closeup of toxin Male releasing toxin Male...
  17. Mark Melton

    Backyard Wildlife

    Do you know what kind of salamander it is?
  18. Mark Melton

    Recommend Reading

    I remember having this book back in the late 70s or early 80s. It was (is) a great book. I think I'll try ordering it again.
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