“Small Minnow Mayflies”
Family Overview
Baetidae
Small Minnow Mayflies
This family includes roughly 152 North American species and 22 genera. The larvae of this family are usually found in lotic-erosional or lotic-depositional habitats. They tend to be clingers and strong swimmers due to their streamlined, minnow-like body shape. They feed by collecting and gathering food, or by scraping algae and periphyton from rocks and detritus. Adults tend to swarm nearby in open areas after emergence. Duns and spinners of this group are frequently used as models for tied flies in the fly-fishing community. Larvae in this group can be tricky to identify and can be easily mistaken for other families such as the Siphlonuridae and Isonychiidae; however, but with careful attention to detail and patience, they can be separated.
Characteristics
POLLUTION TOLERANCE
Mid-Atlantic: 2 - 9
Upper Midwest: 2 - 9
Midwest: 1.7 - 5.6
Southeast: 1.8 - 9.3
0 = least tolerant, 10 = most tolerant
FEEDING HABITS
Collector / Gatherer
Scraper / Grazer
Scraper / Grazer
MOVEMENT
Clinger
Swimmer
Swimmer
Diagnostic Characters
Media
Baetidae
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