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Siphlonurus quebecensis (Gray Drake) Mayfly Nymph Pictures

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

» Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

» Class Insecta (Insects)

» Order Ephemeroptera (Mayflies)

» Family Siphlonuridae (Gray Drakes)

» Genus Siphlonurus (Gray Drakes)

» Species quebecensis (Gray Drake)

I photographed this nymph in the middle of molting between one instar (Instar: Many invertebrates molt through dozens of progressively larger and better-developed stages as they grow. Each of these stages is known as an instar. Hard-bodied nymphs typically molt through more instars than soft-bodied larvae.) and the next (not hatching).

This mayfly was collected from the Delaware River on May 13th, 2007 and added to Troutnut.com on May 18th, 2007.

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Siphlonurus quebecensis (Gray Drake) Mayfly Nymph from the Delaware River in New York

CameraCanon EOS 20D

View Full Size and Comment (2X larger)

Siphlonurus quebecensis (Gray Drake) Mayfly Nymph from the Delaware River in New York

CameraCanon EOS 20D

View Full Size and Comment (2X larger)

Siphlonurus quebecensis (Gray Drake) Mayfly Nymph from the Delaware River in New York

CameraCanon EOS 20D

View Full Size and Comment (2X larger)

Siphlonurus quebecensis (Gray Drake) Mayfly Nymph from the Delaware River in New York

CameraCanon EOS 20D

View Full Size and Comment (2X larger)

Siphlonurus quebecensis (Gray Drake) Mayfly Nymph from the Delaware River in New York

CameraCanon EOS 20D

Recent Discussions of this Nymph

Gray Drake Photos

Posted by Oldredbarn on May 12, 2010

Jason,

These are absolutely wonderful photos! What lens did you use?

I have always thought that when the mayfly molted it did it somehow along the same lines as when it's emerging in to the adult. Where the wing pad splits and they basically emerge through that opening. This appears more like a snake shedding its skin and it appears to have split along the bottom of the insect and the exuviae just flakes off.

The detail of the veins throughout is incredible.

I guess there is nothing "gray" about the younger version of the nymph, eh?! I hope you haven't started Spence in to thinking that he needs to tie up some transitional nymphs! It's bad enough now all the stages we are trying to imitate!

Spence

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Jargon Defined:

Instar: Many invertebrates molt through dozens of progressively larger and better-developed stages as they grow. Each of these stages is known as an instar. Hard-bodied nymphs typically molt through more instars than soft-bodied larvae.

Molting: When aquatic insects with hard exoskeletons (like mayfly and stonefly nymphs) grow bigger, their exoskeleton does not grow with them. Instead they grow a new, larger one underneath and shed the old one when it's too small. This process is called molting.

Nymph: The juvenile, underwater stages of mayflies, stoneflies, dragonflies, and damselflies and other aquatic insects whose juvenile stages are covered by hard exoskeletons. The word can also refer to the fishing flies which imitate these creatures, in which case it is used as a blanket term for flies imitating any underwater stage of an invertebrate (except for crayfish and leeches).

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