Rusty Dun/ Blue Quill - Baetis vagans

[sandfly]

Baetis vagans RUSTY DUN/BLUE QUILL Female body/BROWN REDDISH wing/MED.BLUE DUN legs/TANNISH size-16,20 EASTERN & MIDWEST COLOR VARIATION

 

[Foxgap239]

It's always amazing to me how much longer the tails of spinners are versus the duns. They molt their skin so where they hidding that extra length of tail?

 

[sandfly]

Rogaine maybe ??
They are folded over..

 

[ryguyfi]

So you're saying that the tails on a spinner are close to double the size as the dun?

Learn something new every day.

 

[sandfly]

on most flies yes some a bit longer like the tricos...

 

[Foxgap239]

That begs me to ask another question then. I think I know the answer but I still want to ask. Are there any species where the nymph has 3 tails but the dun only has 2?

 

[sandfly]

I have to go back to the books on that one, might take a few days to get the answer..found it
Winged mayflies have either two or three tails. Don?t confuse this with the number of tails the nymph has, as it may be different. Some mayflies have three tails as a nymph, but only two in the winged stages.

 

[Foxgap239]

Don't go on a research quest for me. It is really just curiousity. I am intrigued though by your other post on March Browns and your data. PM me if you sell your dubbing colors. That would interest me a great deal.

 

[pcray1231]

Yes. It's pretty common. Examples I'm sure of:

Maccaffertium genus (cahills and March Browns)

Baetis genus (all of which are called BWO's, but not all BWO's are Baetis)

Isonychia genus (Slate Drakes)

Hexagenia (Hex's)

There was a time when I thought ALL mayfly nymphs had 3 tails. But it's not so. For instance, the Epeorus genus has only 2 tails in the nymph stage. That genus includes Quill Gordons and Little Maryatts.