Benthic-invertebrate

Guides

• Caenis latipennis

  small squaregilled mayfly

  Caenis latipennis is a small squaregilled mayfly in the family Caenidae, distributed across Central and North America including Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The species inhabits small prairie streams with sandy substrates and exhibits a multivoltine life cycle with overlapping generations. Adult emergence occurs primarily at dusk, with females completing mating and oviposition in approximately 37 minutes.

  aquatic-insectbenthic-invertebrateprairie-streambioindicatorcrepuscular-emergence

• Drunella grandis

  Western Green Drake, Green Drake, Spinner Green Drake

  Drunella grandis is a species of spiny crawler mayfly in the family Ephemerellidae. It is commonly known as the Western Green Drake among fly fishermen, who highly value this species for its importance as a trout food source. The species is native to North America and has been documented with three recognized subspecies. Adults are notable for their large size and greenish coloration, making them a prominent feature of western North American streams.

  mayflyaquatic-insecttrout-foodfly-fishingbenthic-invertebratewestern-North-America

• Ephemera simulans

  Brown Drake

  Ephemera simulans is a burrowing mayfly species in the family Ephemeridae, commonly known as the Brown Drake. It is widely distributed across North America, particularly common in the Rocky Mountains, Midwest, and Great Lakes region. The species is economically significant in recreational fly fishing, where both nymph and adult stages are imitated with artificial flies. Nymphs inhabit sand and silt substrates of lakes and streams, emerging as adults primarily at night from mid-June to mid-July.

  mayflyEphemeropteraEphemeridaeburrowing-mayflyfly-fishingBrown-DrakeNorth-Americabenthic-invertebratetrout-foodnocturnal-emergence

• Orconectes rusticus

  Rusty Crayfish

  Orconectes rusticus, commonly known as the rusty crayfish, is a freshwater crayfish native to the Ohio River basin in the United States. The species has become a highly successful invasive organism in northern lakes and streams across North America, where it displaces native crayfish through aggressive behavioral dominance. Research has documented its capacity for learned associations involving predator cues, complex social recognition systems using chemical signals, and flexible spatial learning. The species' invasion success stems from a combination of behavioral traits including high aggression, broad habitat tolerance, and efficient resource utilization.

  invasive-speciesaggressive-behaviorchemical-communicationfreshwater-crayfishsecond-order-conditioningecosystem-impactrange-expansionbehavioral-ecologyspecies-displacementpredator-learningagonistic-behaviorthermal-ecologydetritivorebenthic-invertebratedecapod-crustaceanGreat-Lakes-invasivebait-introductionurine-communicationself-assessmentspatial-memory