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Mayfly Genus Caenis (Angler's Curses)

Taxonomic Navigation -?-
Species in CaenisNumber of SpecimensNumber of Pictures
Caenis amicaAngler's Curse00
Caenis hilarisAngler's Curse00
Caenis latipennisAngler's Curse00
Caenis tardataAngler's Curse00
Caenis youngiAngler's Curse00

7 species aren't included.
Common Names
Pictures Below
When the important hatches of Tricorythodes were first discovered by anglers, Caenis was given the credit. We now know that the Caenis mayflies are a different group, smaller and less common in trout streams, and they hatch in the evening instead of the morning.

They very rarely elicit selective feeding, but when they do they're very tough to match because they're often much smaller than size 28. This difficulty has earned them the nickname "Angler's Curse."
  

Where & When


Time Of Year (?): June through early September; best in June and July

Preferred Waters: Rivers and lakes

Most Caenis mayflies emerge in the evenings when other, larger mayflies are abundant on the water. This limits their importance.

Hatching Behavior


Caenis mayflies typically emerge, molt into spinners, mate, and oviposit within one hour.

Nymph Biology


Substrate: Silt, weeds

Every book says pools and stagnant back-waters are the prime habitats of these nymphs. This is probably true, but I have often found them in gravel, vegetation, and other habitats. They have operculate (
The operculate gills of a Caenis nymph.
The operculate gills of a Caenis nymph.
Operculate: Lidlike; usually used to describe the pair of enlarged elytroid gills (called the operculum) which some silt-dwelling mayfly nymphs like Caenis and Eurylophella have developed to shield their other gills from debris.
)
gills adapted to survival on silty bottoms.


Pictures of 11 Mayfly Specimens in the Genus Caenis:

Specimen Page:12
Caenis (Angler's Curses) Mayfly NymphCaenis (Angler's Curses) Mayfly Nymph View 4 PicturesI confirmed the identity of this nymph by looking at it under a microscope to be certain of the shape of its gills and head.
Collected January 31, 2004 from unknown in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on January 25, 2006
Caenis (Angler's Curses) Mayfly NymphCaenis (Angler's Curses) Mayfly Nymph View 3 PicturesThis interesting little Caenis nymph is way darker than any of the others I collected in January 2004, probably a different species. It also has shorter tails.
Collected January 31, 2004 from unknown in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on January 25, 2006
Caenis (Angler's Curses) Mayfly NymphCaenis (Angler's Curses) Mayfly Nymph View 3 Pictures
Collected February 7, 2004 from unknown in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on January 25, 2006
Specimen Page:12

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