A recent spate of synonymizations in North American Ephemerellidae has resulted in a rather drastic reduction in the number of recognized species: by 1/3 in Serratella and Drunella, and by fully 1/2 in Ephemerella. Such actions are likely to have a large impact on benthic science (e.g., biomonitoring programs), yet some of the papers enacting these changes have been essentially proclamations, with little or no objective evidence in support of their conclusions. Here we examine one of the casualties, the Drunella lata complex of eastern North America, formerly consisting of 4 species but now considered a single, “highly variable” species. Three of the former species, D. cornuta, cornutella and lata, are common in the Northeast and often coexist in the same reach of stream. Using genetic, morphometric and life history data, we show these three are reproductively isolated, that morphological variation is discontinuous, and there are consistent differences in phenology and thermal requirements among them. Thus, they represent three biologically distinct species. We conclude that, although a proclamation style of taxonomy may be acceptable for a “first cut”, for fauna in regions with a long taxonomic history, an approach that includes the presentation of objective evidence is warranted.