Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae of Gunnison County, ColoradoParaleptophlebia debilis
Dark Blue Quill, Blue Dun, Mahogany Dun(Walker) 1853
Updated 2 January 2026
TSN 101193
Good Links
On this website:
Introduction to Paraleptophlebia
Key to Leptophlebiidae Nymphs
Key to Leptophlebiidae Adults
Other Websites:
Photos, Map, Taxon Identifier Numbers - from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility Paraleptophlebia debilis at Gbif
Photos, Map, Museums, DNA - Barcode of Life Data System
Photos - from bugguide.net
Photos and more from Troutnut
References
Gilpin,BR and Brusven,MA 1970 Food habits and ecology of mayflies of the St. Maries River in Idaho. Melanderia 4:19-40. PDF
Gordon,E 1933 Notes on the Ephemerid genus Leptophlebia. Bulletin of the Brooklyn Entomological Society 28(3) 116-134.
Describes this species as Leptophlebia debilis.
Hamilton,H and Clifford,F 1983 The seasonal food habits of mayfly (Ephemeroptera) nymphs from three Alberta, Canada, streams, with special reference to absolute volume and size of particles ingested. Arch. Hydrobiol., Suppl, 65(2/3), 197-234. PDF
Harper,PP and Harper,F 1997 Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) of the Yukon. Pp. 152-167 In: H.V. Danks and J.A. Downes, eds. Insects of the Yukon. Biological Survey of Canada (Terrestrial Arthropods). Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. PDF
McCafferty,WP; Durfee,RS and Kondratieff,BC 1993 Colorado mayflies (Ephemeroptera): an annotated inventory. Southwestern Naturalist 38 3, 252-274. PDF
Quote from page 263: "This species is apparently continental being known from Nova Scotia to California."
McCafferty,WP and Provonsha,AV The Mayflies of North AmericaSpecies List (Version 8Feb2011)
Here is the geographic range and synonyms:
Paraleptophlebia debilis (Walker), 1853 [CAN:FN,NE,NW;USA:FN,NE,NW,SE,SW]
* Baetis debilis Walker, 1853 (orig.)
* Leptophlebia debilis (Walker), 1853 (comb.)
* Leptophlebia mollis (Hagen), 1861 (id.)
* Leptophlebia separata Ulmer, 1920 (invalid renam.)
Nelson,SM and Roline,RA 1999 Relationships between metals and hyporheic invertebrate community structure in a river recovering from metals contamination. Hydrobiologia 397, 211-226.
They found Paraleptophlebia pr. debilis primarily in the hyporheic samples. The mean density in the surface samples was only 796 animals/meter² while in the hyporheic zone there was a mean of 17,532 animals/meter².
Walker,F 1853 Ephemerinae. List of the specimens of neuropterous insects in the collection of the British Museum, Part III (Termitidae- Ephemeridae).533-585.
Described as Baetis debilis.
Zuellig,RE; Heinold,BD; Kondratieff,BC and Ruiter,DE 2012 Diversity and distribution of mayflies (Ephemeroptera), stoneflies (Plecoptera), and caddisflies (Trichoptera) of the South Platte River Basin, Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming, 1873-2010: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 606, 257 p. PDF
Quote from page 36: A transcontinental North American species (Edmunds and others, 1976; McCafferty and others, 1993) associated with smaller montane and foothills streams of the SPRB that move to pool habitats prior to emergence (Harper and Harper, 1986). The elevation range is 5,050-9,750 feet and the adults emerge from August-October.
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