Cold River

ORDER: Ephemeroptera
FAMILY: Baetidae 
GENUS: Baetis 

This mayfly has three "tails" and a unique head shape. Its gills are oval shaped and insert dorsally. The wing pad shape is an obvious characteristic. More mature nymphs have long, dark wing pads. SMC

ORDER: Diptera
FAMILY: Chironomidae

 Midge larvae tend to be the most common macroinvertebrate at our sites.  As with other Diptera, there are no true jointed legs.  Chironomids 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 the philopotamids.

ORDER: Diptera
FAMILY: Simuliidae

What's not to like about blackflies?  Our second most common dipteran.  Rather like a bowling pin with hands attached at the head end.  We have not identified them past family at this point, but it is in the long-term plan.
NABS

ORDER: Ephemeroptera
FAMILY: Baetidae 

This family of mayfly is characterized by antennae longer than the width of their head and a notch in their labrum. The most common genus we found was Baetis.
NABS

ORDER: Plecoptera 
FAMILY: Capniidae
GENUS: Nemocapnia

Capniidae 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.

There are about 15 cercal (or "tail") segments on Nemocapnia stoneflies. There are multiple long, fine hairs on these segments, forming a "vertical fringe," which are absent on the basal 5 or 6 segments (closest to the abdomen).

ORDER: Ephemeroptera
FAMILY: Heptageniidae
GENUS: Epeorus. 

A mayfly with two 'tails'!  This family of mayflies has distinctly flattened heads, and this particular genus has two tails and a unique gill arrangement.
NABS

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 femora which bears a single hair, called setae. SMC

ORDER: Diptera
FAMILY: Blephariceridae
GENUS: Blepharicera

This dipteran is characterized by six prominent "suction cups" on its  ventral side and has tufts on the sides of abdominal sections.  SMC

NABS
ORDER: Trichoptera
FAMILY: Hydropsychidae
GENUS: Hydropsyche

Hydropsyche share most characteristics with Ceratopsyche, including the sclerites in the intersegmental folds. Hydropsyche are distinguished from Ceratopsyche by the presence of scale hairs and minute spines on the three most posterior abdominal segments. SMC

ORDER: Diptera
FAMILY: Ceratopogonidae

Members of this family look like very straight Chironomidae. They are very long and thin with a distinct head capsule and no prolegs. SMC