Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Photo#375876
Small Winter Stonefly?

Small Winter Stonefly?
Ramsey Canyon, Sierra Vista, Cochise County, Arizona, USA
March 4, 2010
Size: approx. 10mm
Small winter stonefly? Can this be identified to genus?

Thanks,

Loren and Babs Padelford
Bellevue, NE

Images of this individual: tag all
Small Winter Stonefly? Small Winter Stonefly?

It's most likely a Mesocapnia
It's most likely a Mesocapnia. Depending on where you were at in Ramsey Canyon it could be Mesocapnia arizonensis or M. frisoni. We collected a lot of arizonensis last year (2010) with the abundant rains and flows from the canyon out onto the alluvial fan. Arizonensis tend to occur in reaches that don't flow every year and can be dry for multiple years, while frisoni are in reaches that dry for part of each year but generally have water for at least a couple months each winter- though the species do overlap a little. Males of the two species are easy to distinguish at a glance (arizonensis being brachypterous), but females are tricky to impossible. 2010 was a great year for winter stoneflies in southern Arizona!

 
Hola
Hey Mike,

I was looking for M. arizonensis photos and look where the Google crumb trail led me! Who else would know so much about these critters?

Ivan

 
Winter Stonefly
Michael,

Thank you for your comments. We photographed the winter stonefly on our car in the Ramsey Canyon Nature Conservancy parking lot.

Loren and Babs Padelford

Capniidae -- Lloyd Gonzales det.
Moved from Stoneflies.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.