Cold River

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Streams logo web.jpg Cold River
State or Province:Vermont
Country:USA
Latitude:43.34153
Longitude:-72.50353


The following are the most common invertebrates collected from this stream site.

Baetis

Baetis.jpg
Order
Ephemeroptera
Family
Baetidae
Genus
Baetis


Common name
The Little Olive
Tied fly
Sawyer Pheasant Tail Nymph
This mayfly has three "tails" and a unique head shape. Its gills are oval shaped and insert dorsally. More mature nymphs have long, dark wing pads.

Image of the long, dark wing pads.




Chironomidae

Chironomidae.jpg
Order
Diptera
Family
Chironomidae


Common name
Nonbiting midge
Tied fly
Griffith's Gnat
Midge larvae tend to be the most common macroinvertebrate at our sites. As with other Diptera, there are no true jointed legs. Chironomidae do have a pair of prolegs at each end and preserved individuals tend to curl into a 'C'. Identification past family requires slide-mounted heads. We have seen philopotamid caddisflies misidentified with the chironomids and we suspect that that happens when samples are being sorted from trays. Under a microscope, six prominent legs can be seen on members of the caddisfly family Philopotamidae.

More information on Philopotamidae.




Simuliidae

Simuliidae.jpg
Order
Diptera
Family
Simuliidae


Simuliidae appear rather like bowling pins with heads. Relatively speaking, we collect few members of this family and have we have not identified them past family at this point.

Click here for a close up image of the heads.




Baetidae

Baetis.jpg
Order
Ephemeroptera
Family
Baetidae


Common name
Small minnow mayfly
Tied fly
Tiny blue-winged olive
This mayfly has either two or three cerci ("tails") and a unique head shape. Its gills are oval shaped and insert dorsally. Commonly encountered genera include Acerpenna, Baetis and Pseudocloeon.

More information on the genera:

Acerpenna

Baetis

Pseudocloeon




Capniidae

Capnia left whole.jpg
Order
Plecoptera
Family
Capniidae


Common name
winter stonefly
Capnia stoneflies have hind wing pads that are are broad as they are long. An important distinction of the Capniidae family is the membranous pleural folds that run down the posterior abdomen segments 1-9. These look like two lines running parallel down the back of the abdomen. Capnia are distinguished by femurs and tibia of forelegs with less than 20 fine hairs and no dorsal femoral fringe hairs.

Ventral and dorsal views are seen here.




Epeorus

Epeorus.jpg
Order
Ephemeroptera
Family
Heptageniidae
Genus
Epeorus


Common name
The Quill Gordon
Tied fly
Quill Gordon
This is the only Heptageniidae genus present in this area with two tails!




Chimarra

Chimarra.jpg
Order
Trichoptera
Family
Philopotamidae
Genus
Chimarra


Chimarra are distinguished from the other Philopotamidae by a prominent asymmetrical notch in the frontoclypeus as well as a prominent process on the femur which bears a single hair (seta).

Images of the asymmetrical notch and prominent process.



Blepharicera

Blepharicera.jpg
Order
Diptera
Family
Blephariceridae
Genus
Blepharicera


Common name
net-winged midges
This dipteran is characterized by six prominent "suction cups" on its ventral side and has tufts on the sides of abdominal sections.

Image of the ventral side.




Hydropsyche

Hydropsyche.jpg
Order
Trichoptera
Family
Hydropsychidae
Genus
Hydropsyche


Common name
spotted caddis
Tied fly
dark cahill
Hydropsyche are net-spinning caddisflies and share most characteristics with other members of the Hydropsychidae, including the Ceratopsyche. Hydropsyche are distinguished from Ceratopsyche by the presence of scale hairs and minute spines on the three most posterior abdominal segments.

More information on the Ceratopsyche can be found here. Image of the sclerites in the intersegmental folds.




Ceratopogonidae

Ceratopogonidae.jpg
Order
Diptera
Family
Ceratopogonidae


Common name
biting midges
Members of this family look like very straight Chironomidae. They are very long and thin with a distinct head capsule and no prolegs. Some in the lab call them 'bamboo sticks' with eyes.

Image of the distinct head capsule.