Small Ballast Caddisfly vs Angler's Curse Mayfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Small Ballast Caddisfly Angler's Curse Mayfly
Scientific Name Silo pallipes Caenis rivulorum
Order Trichoptera Ephemeroptera
Family Goeridae Caenidae
Size 7-10 mm 3-5 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Rivers & Streams
Diet Omnivores Detritivores
Regions Europe Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Small Ballast Caddisfly

A small caddisfly that cements large pebbles to its mineral case for ballast in fast water. Found exclusively in clean calcareous streams.

💡

Did You Know?

Larvae select ballast stones of remarkably uniform size relative to their body mass.

Angler's Curse Mayfly

A tiny mayfly nicknamed for frustrating anglers who cannot imitate it on hook. Nymphs burrow in fine sediments of slow rivers and streams.

💡

Did You Know?

At just a few millimeters long, trout feed on them voraciously but anglers struggle to tie flies small enough to match.