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Photo#286513
Mayfly - Hexagenia - female

Mayfly - Hexagenia - Female
Sand Springs, Osage County, Oklahoma, USA
June 9, 2009
Size: 38mm (1 1/2") see remarks
Size shown above is to the end of the long abdominal terminal filaments.
By the way, in adults what are the terminal filaments for?

Came to porch light.

Once again I am in awe of the beauty in nature. This is another of those breathtakingly beautiful things found in the wild that, when you see it, makes you stop dead in your tracks and just stare.
This mayfly, with it's brilliant yellow color, stood out like the bright sun against a cerulean blue sky on a perfectly cloudless day.
Spectacular!

Please help with ID.

Images of this individual: tag all
Mayfly - Hexagenia - female Mayfly - Hexagenia - female Mayfly - Hexagenia - female Mayfly - Hexagenia - female Mayfly - Hexagenia - female

Supplemental info
Just wanted to provide you with some information supplemental to the ID provided by Lloyd Gonzoles. Insect body length is customarily measured from the front of the head (excluding antennae) to the end of the abdomen (excluding tails). Based on your estimate of 38 mm. (including length of tails), I believe your mayfly would have a body length of 16.5 mm.

Incidentally, only the middle tail of a mayfly imago is called a terminal filament. The outer tails are referred to as cerci. In the case of Hexagenia in its winged form, the terminal filament is vestigal (an appendage surviving in a dwarfed or degenerate form), and can be barely seen in the cast shadow when zooming in on your 3rd photo.

Hexagenia female imago
Although limbata would seem likely, a few of the variants of that highly variable species are very difficult to distinguish from rigida. These could be separated by the shape of the genitalia of a male imago. Both species are found in parts of OK.

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