Coloration: Exuvial cepalothoxax blackish-brown to yellowish-brown; muscle scars dark yellow-brown; abdominal terga I-V with dark shagreen over each tergum; VI with basal transverse band and 2 apical patches of dark; VII-VIII largely pale, fins dark, with a longitudinal dark stripe that becomes progressively broader on VIII.
Total length 7.84-7.96 mm in males, and 7.82-9.51 in females, inner margin of wing case abt 1.77 mm. In female - antennal sheath abt 56 µm; cephalic tubercles wider than long (63-66 x 94-96 µm; with a seta about 56 mm long); no secondary tubercle or frontal warts. Respiratory base abt 152 x 71 (HR 2.14) with the basal trunk slightly contracted; a patch of about 2-5 lacunae with 2 setae is just anterior to the base and a large rugose patch about 250 µm long more ventral on each side.
About 101 recurved hooks on TII, occupying about 70% of segment width. Pedes spurii B on segment II present, that on III not seen; large pedes spurii A on segment IV, about 253 x 121 µm and about 0.28 of the segment length; that of segment V about 164 µm long and of segment VI about 100 µm long; L-seta at junction of segments III/IV at least 50 µm, and that of segments IV/V at least 110 µm long.
Posterolateral spur of segment VIII with 4 (1-8; 14) spines; swim fin with 82 (62-101; 8) taeniae initially in a single row, then becoming double and triple over posterior quarter of length.
Fourth instar larva a small to medium (male 11.2-12.5 mm; female 12.5 mm) plumosus- or thummi-type (may be pH dependent?), with posterior ventral tubules usually slighlty longer (ant. 1.75 mm; post. 1.77 mm) and coiled. Anal tubules relatively long, ventral pair longer (480, 540 µm) and 4.8-5.4 times longer than wide. Gular region slightly darkened, frontoclypeus pale.
Mentum (Fig. c) with relativley pointed teeth; c1 tooth relatively broad with short parallel sides, c2 teeth moderately well seperated (type IIA); 4th lateral reduced part way to level of 5th lateral (type I-ii); 6th lateral much shorter.
Ventromentum (Fig. d) about 185-201 µm wide and about 3.6-3.8 times wider than deep and 1.06-1.11 times wider than the mentum; with about 45-51 striae; VMR about 0.24-0.32. Distance between VMs about 27% of the mentum width.
Pecten epipharyngis (Fig. a) with about 13-14 teeth of type B, although sometimes somewhat irregular in length. Premandible (Fig. f) with inner tooth relatively broad, about 3.7-4.8 times wider than the outer which narrows markedly along its length.
Distance between the antennal bases less than that between the S4 setae which are separated by about 83-88% of the frontoclypeal width; S5 setae slightly anterior to the nearby RO.Antenna (Fig. b) with basal segment just over a third of the Ventral head length, about 2.5-3.2 times longer than wide; RO variable around a third up from base of the segment, AR about 1.58-2.0; segment lengths (micron) 108 : 38 : 6 : 14 : 8.5, i.e. A5 longer than A3. Distance between the antennal bases less than that between the S4 setae which are separated by about 84% of the frontoclypeus width.
Mandible (Fig. e) length about 218-258 µm; of type IB, with about 15-18 furrows on the outer surface near the base, 13-18 taeniae in the Pecten mandibularis; MTR about 0.27-0.34.
Cytology: 4 polytene chromosomes with thummi arm combination AB, CD, EF, G.
Arm G usually closely paired with a Balbiani ring about 1/3 from one end, although specimens from South Dakota had a nucleolus immediately distal to the BR. Nucleolus is near the centromere in arm D.
Polymorphism in arm G near distal end, which homozygous in South Dakota specimens, and instead may be heterozygous for an inversion of about 2/3 of arm G. Polymorphism for arm F also occurs in South Dakota.