Bug’s Life II
Our sampling carries on relentlessly every month, we’re a bit late in May due to the bad weather but got out to sample on the weekend, Jack has become an efficient and able side kick, included below are a few pictures from our other sampling site near the bridge at Berkeley Estate Kennels and some of the various inhabitants we get from both sites.
The Kennels site below the bridge into Berkeley:
Bug expert in action:
We sift out the Eels and any fish caught up in the sample before we get going properly:
Mayfly or Ephemera Danica (one has a tail missing):
Baetis nymph it might be a BWO but the markings appear too pale, we find it difficult to tell sometimes, this one is blown up a great extent via macro photography (answers on a post card if you can advise on the type):
Caseless Caddis (Hydropsyche and a Racophilia down at the bottom left):
Cased Caddis, the two groupings we get most either use gravel to build their homes, or a finer substance that makes the case look like a little stick, when we first started sampling it was easy to overlook these as they fit in so well with the sand and gravel:
Gammarus (with little red spot which shows that it is infected with stage 2 of P. Laevis):
Stoneflies, these were very small examples and it’s quite rare for us to find these on the LRA, although now I know where to look we might find them more often:
Paraleptophlebia Submarginata or Turkey Brown:
Damselfly nymphs:
Bullhead (which is of course a fish and not a bug) and a freshwater snail-shell:
Clean up at the end:
Tight Lines, Splash (& Son)
Little River Diary 
Great post Toby! Glad to see Jack filling my post admirably! I would be interested to know what species of stone clinger nymphs you found. Perhaps post them on the forum? I’m pretty sure the baetis/bwo nymph is a baetis but you can always tell from way they swim. The bwo nymph has a very distinctive swimming style.
May 21, 2012 at 6:21 pm
The obvious BWOs are easy to spot but this one is exactly like some other pics of one on another site … not all the bloogers swim when in the pot, that’s why I posted this one up with an uncertainty around it – makes you wonder; if it isn’t, then it’ll be the first sample I’ve had with none in it.
May 21, 2012 at 6:55 pm
Not sure what those Stoneclingers/flies are but then again I haven’t looked them up lol … might do that later.
May 21, 2012 at 6:56 pm
Further to last, the really small flies are Stoneflies – the first ones we’ve had so far (I know where to find them now – they have been eluding me to date); haven’t worked out the other one yet.
May 21, 2012 at 7:40 pm
I’m reliably informed that the other stone clinger is in fact a Paraleptophlebia Submarginata or better known as a Turkey Brown!
May 21, 2012 at 10:11 pm