Summer emerging Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera of Abrams Creek, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Abrams Creek drainage was surveyed for adult mayflies (Ephemeroptera), stoneflies (Plecoptera), and caddisflies (Trichoptera) during summer 2001 as part of the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM). Nine reaches were collected, up to five times, using primarily ultraviolet light trapping. Of the 35,710 specimens examined, 164 species resulted. These consisted of 35 species of mayflies, 36 stoneflies, and 93 caddisflies. Eight species are new to Tennessee, while 39 are new GRSM records. Three rarely collected mayflies, Epeorus vitreus (Walker), Leucrocuta thetis (Traver), and Nixe spinosa (Traver), were taken. Rare caddisflies included Ceratopsyche macleodi (Flint), Cheumatopsyche helma Ross, Hydroptila chattanooga Frazer and Harris, H. talladega Harris, and Chimarra augusta Morse. No rare stoneflies were collected. Additional specimens of two undescribed (but known to specialists) species were taken in Goera (Trichoptera) and Isoperla (Plecoptera). Specimens of Hydroptila nr. amoena Ross (Trichoptera) and a Caenis nr. mccafferti Provonsha (Ephemeroptera) are possibly new to science, but require more specimens and study. More effort concentrated in southwestern GRSM and in Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera should yield additional significant records.