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Brachycentrus appalachia Order Trichoptera Family Brachycentridae Genus Brachycentrus Species appalachia |
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Brachycentrus appalachia
Pronounced - brak ee sen trus - app a lay chee uh Common Name - Apple Caddis, Popcorn Caddis, Grannom Size bright green variety Hook - 16, 18 Millimeter - 10 to 13 Size dark brown variety Hook - 20, 22 Millimeter - 8.5 to 13 Type - Humpless case maker Case Type - Cases are four sidded (chimney like, log cabin type), consisting of small pieces of wood and plant matter. Cases are neatly constructed with small smooth slats of material, looking almost like a tiny popsicle stick structure. Adult bright green variety Body Color - Thorax is light tan, abdomen is bright green. Wing Color - Blond to White Adult dark brown variety Body Color - Thorax very dark brown, abdoman, very dark brown with a lighter brown or dark tan lateral stripe. Wing Color - Medium dun with a brownish tint. Key to Family - Ocelli absent. Legs - spines are present, but small, tibiae spurs foreleg 2, middle 2, hind 2 or foreleg 2, middle 3, hind 3, or foreleg 2, middle 4, hind 4. Scutellum cointains two large separated warts. Malillary palps - male three segements, female five segments. Key to Genus - Spurs foreleg 2, middle 2, hind 3, or foreleg 2, middle 3, hind 3. Key to Species B. appalachia - Male tergum X dorsal view, tergum X devided with it's lobes longer than they are wide, three or four setae, or spikes present on both lobes. Flint - 1984 - The Genus Brachycentrus in North America, with a Proposed Phylogeny of the Genera of Brachycentridae. |
This small family of caddisflies are represented in North America by approximately thirty-three species (Morse 1993). A lot of fuss has been made labeling certian insect hatches as so called super hatches. Call me critical, but in the many years I've been fly fishing what I would call a super hatch has been few and far between. Just about every major insect has the potential to produce them, but for any insect hatching in great enough numbers on any given day the conditions have to be perfect. I've only seen a few instances of what I would call a super hatch. B. appalachia on the other hand has earned such a label by consistantly producing huge clouds of insects both while hatching, and during mating swarms. It's not uncommon to see large clouds of them high in the tree tops covering hundreds of yards along the river. While emergeing on sunny afternoons large hatches cover the river at times so thick you find yourself literely being pummuled to the point of picking them from your teeth as you fish. Fishing a pupa imitation during a B. appalachia emergence seems to be somewhat of a mystery. More than one experienced angler has questioned the fact that with so many naturals hatching why isn't fishing a pupa imitation more productive? While other caddis are emerging drifting a pupa just under the surface or in the surface film produce fish consistantly, but during this hatch produce very few. Almost ever fly fisher I've talked to has expressed the fact that fishing a pupa during a B. appalachia in the surface film produces very few fish. However fishing them deep especilly mornings prior to the hatch produces consistantly. The answer comes with looking at the insects habits. Before hatching B. appalachia will become active by attaching silk thread to the substrait, from which they hang suspended near the the river bottom. This seems to accure in the morning qiute sometime prior to the actual hatch activity. The most productive areas while fishing pupa in this mannor seem to be riffles that empty into deep pools. B. appalachia is a very interesting species, mostly know in this area as apple, or popcorn caddis. Giant swarms of this bright green bodied, blond winged caddis often produce great fishing opportunities. However B. appalachia is also found in great numbers sporting a dark brown body with dark brownish dun wings. If this isn't confusing enough some are tan with medium to dark dun wings. Still others have dark olive bodies and dark dun wings. The later, the dark green or olive colored variety, may not emerge this color, but may be the more well known bright green variety that has darkened. This is a educated guess on my part for the simple reason that all of the bright green variety specimens I've collected have turned dark in captivity, making it hard to get a good pictue of the bright green color. The dark brown variety appear on the scene a bit earlier than the bright green version, both overlap Apatania. Out on the stream the dark variety of B. appalachia are easily confused with the smaller Apatania. Both are very dark brown with a lighter brown lateral abdominal stipe. Here the size of the insect in question could help with it's identification. The dark version of B. appalachia measures 8.5 to 13mm, with most falling within the 12 to 13mm range, hook size 20 to 18. Apatania rangeing from 7.5 to 8.5mm, hook size 22 to 20, most are size 22. |
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