Ephemeroptera: Baetidae of Gunnison County, ColoradoPlauditus virilis (McDunnough) 1923Blue-Winged Olive, Small Minnow MayflyUpdated 12 Jan 2009
DescriptionAnother of the small minow mayflies. Lacks hindwings and is only two-tailed, compare to Acentrella. Baetis bicaudatus is also two-tailed, but has hind wings.Locations CollectedTomichi CreekNotesName recently changed from Baetis virile to Plauditus virilis. Read Lugo-Ortiz and McCafferty's 1998 paper.LinksOn this website:Plauditus punctiventris Acentrella insignificans Baetis bicaudatus 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/103.htm ReferencesDurfee,RS; Kondratieff,BC 1994 New additions to the inventory of Colorado mayflies (Ephemeroptera). Entomological News 105 4, 222-227.This paper reports Baetis virile from Tomichi Creek near Gunnison. Lugo-Ortiz,CR; McCafferty,WP 1998 A new North American genus of Baetidae (Ephemeroptera) and key to Baetis complex genera. Entomological News 109 5, 345-353. Abstract Describes the new genus Plauditus and renames Baetis virilis as Plauditus virilis. McCafferty,WP 1997 Name adjustments and a new synonym for North American Ephemeroptera species. Entomological News 108 4, 318, 320. Changes the species name from Baetis virile to Baetis virilis. The name Baetis is considered masculine and therefore the species name needed to match that. McCafferty,WP; Durfee,RS; Kondratieff,BC 1993 Colorado mayflies (Ephemeroptera): an annotated inventory. Southwestern Naturalist 38 3, 252-274. They discuss this species as Baetis virile. Quote from page 256: "This report provides a considerable westward extension of the known range of this species, which is known from Quebec and Ontario and has not been generally reported in the literature since its description. While similar to Acentrella in that it lacks hingwings and has only two tails as a larvae, it is otherwise distinct. The single specimen at CSU agrees with the larval key description of Traver (1935). There remains, however, some possibility that it is either a color variant of B. punctiventris or that it is an undescribed species (see remarks under B. bicaudatus. " McDunnough J. 1923 New Canadian Ephemeridae with notes. Canadian Entomologist 55:39-50. Described as Cloeon virilis.  McDunnough,J 1924 New Canadian Ephemeridae with notes, II. Canadian Entomologist 56, 90-98, 113-122, 128-133. A more thorough description as Pseudocloeon virilis on page 115.  Brown, Wendy S. 2004 Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) of Gunnison County, Colorado, USA www.gunnisoninsects.org |