Ephemeroptera: Heptageniidae of Gunnison County, ColoradoEcdyonurus (Nixe) criddlei (McDunnough) 1927Updated 29 Oct 2008
NotesRecently (2004) McCafferty changed this animal's name from Nixe criddlei to Ecdyonurus criddlei. There are many referencees to Nixe criddlei in species lists and the literature of the late 20th century.Locations CollectedE. criddlei is found across Western Canada and the Western United States down to northern Mexico.LinksOn this website:Nixe criddlei Other Websites: Map - Kondratieff, Boris C. (coordinator). 2000. Mayflies of the United States. Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online. (Version 12DEC2003). http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/insects/mfly/usa/295.htm Discussed as Nixe criddlei. ReferencesArgyle,DW; Edmunds,GF 1962 Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) of the Curecanti Reservoir Basins Gunnison River, Colorado. University of Utah Anthropological Papers 59 8, 178-189.Possibly refer to Ecdyonurus as Heptagenia. McCafferty, W. P. 2004. Contribution to the systematics of Leucrocuta, Nixe, and related genera (Ephemeroptera: Heptageniidae). Trans. Amer. Entomol. Soc. 130(1): 1-9. The author moves Nixe criddlei into the genus Ecdyonurus because it has all the features of the Ecdyonurus simplicioides species group. Quote from page 3: "For the purposes of recognizing Ecdyonurus in North America, i.e., the simplicioides species group of Ecdyonurus, especially from the closely related genera Leucrocuta and Nixe, it may be diagnosed as having generally plesiotypic larvae with well-developed male eyes, an unmodified pronotum, a gill tuft with two or more filaments present at base of gill lamellae 6 (usually well-developed), and the three caudal filaments with well-developed interfacing setae; and in adults, as having proximate male eyes in addition to having penes (e.g., Fig 98 [Traver 1935], Fig. 4g [Demoulin 1964], Figs 103, 106 ;Jensen 1966]) with divergent lobes that have spines present ventrally, a medially extended lateral sclerite dorsally, narrowly attenuate titillators, and that lack developed dorsolateral spines." He notes that the genera Ecdyonurus, Leucrocuta and Nixe are very similar. McCafferty,WP; Durfee,RS; Kondratieff,BC 1993 Colorado mayflies (Ephemeroptera): an annotated inventory. Southwestern Naturalist 38 3, 252-274. Discusses this species as Nixe criddlei. Quote from page 261: "It is likely that some of the Heptagenia spp. reported from the upper Gunnison River drainage system by Argyle and Edmunds (1962) are referable to this species." McDunnough J. 1927 A new Heptagenia from the Yellowstone Region (Ephemeroptera). Canadian Entomologist 59:261. Described as Heptagenia criddlei 
Zuellig,RE; Kondratieff,BC; Rhodes,HA 2002 Benthos recovery after an episodic sediment release into a Colorado Rocky Mountain river. Western North American Naturalist 62 1, 59-72. Discusses this species as Nixe criddlei. Brown, Wendy S. 2004 Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) of Gunnison County, Colorado, USA www.gunnisoninsects.org |