EPHEMEROPTERA: MAYFLIES
Definition
- Adults begin as a ‘dun’ stage with wings, and then moult again (the only insects to do this).
- At rest the wings are held vertically above the back.
- Adults have 2 or 3 long thread-like tails, which give balance for their up and down mating flight.
- Adults are very short lived.
- Larvae are aquatic, with external gills along each side of the abdomen.
- The life cycle has only egg, larva, and adult.
What they do & where they live
- The aquatic larvae are herbivores and/or detrivores feeding on plant material and small fragments of organic matter. The adults lack mouth-parts so cannot feed.
- They live in ponds, lakes, streams and rivers. They cannot breed in acid bog pools or upland oligotrophic (nutrient poor) lakes.
Number of species
- Britain has 51 species.
- The world fauna is 2,100 described species.
It’s amazing It is true that many mayflies only live for a day, or indeed only a few hours. However, there are individuals or species that can live a bit longer than that. It is a reminder that we may think of a species as a brief living adult, when in fact most of it’s life is out of sight, out of mind, as a larva. The crux of invertebrate conservation is to ensure the needs of species are met throughout their life cycle.
