Mayfly
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Ephemeroptera Hyatt & Arms, 1891
Suborders
Suborder Schistonota  Superfamily Baetoidea    Siphlonuridae    Baetidae    Oniscigastridae    Ameletopsidae    Ametropodidae  Superfamily Heptagenioidea    Coloburiscidae    Oligoneuriidae    Isonychiidae    Heptageniidae  Superfamily Leptophlebioidea    Leptophlebiidae  Superfamily Ephemeroidea    Behningiidae    Potamanthidae    Euthyplociidae    Polymitarcydae    Ephemeridae    Palingeniidae Suborder Pannota  Superfamily Ephemerelloidea    Ephemerellidae    Leptohyphidae    Tricorythidae  Superfamily Caenoidea    Neoephemeridae    Baetiscidae    Caenidae    Prosopistomatidae

Mayflies are insects which belong to the Order Ephemeroptera (from the Greek ephemeros = "short-lived", pteron = "wing", referring to the short life span of adults). Arthropods are Animals belonging to the Phylum Arthropoda (from Greek ἄρθρον arthron, " Joint " Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described Baetidae is a family of mayflies with about 900 described species distributed worldwide Heptageniidae (Synonym Ecdyonuridae is a family of mayflies with around 500 described species with a mainly Holarctic distribution Leptophlebiidae is a family belonging to the Ephemeropterans that are commonly known as the prong gilled mayflies Ephemeridae is a family of mayflies with about 150 described species found throughout the world except Australia and Oceania. Spiny Crawler Mayflies Ephemerellidae are known as the spiny crawler mayflies Caenidae, or the Small Squaregill Mayflies is a family of insects consisting of 4 genera comprising 26 individual species Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described This article is about the taxonomic rank for the sequence of species in a taxonomic list see Taxonomic order In scientific classification used Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Insect wings are outgrowths of the Insect Exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They have been placed into an ancient group of insects termed the Paleoptera, which also contains the dragonflies and damselflies. The name Palaeoptera has been traditionally applied to those primitive groups of Winged insects (most of them extinct that lacked the ability to fold the wings back over Anisoptera redirects here For the genus of trees see Anisoptera (tree. They are aquatic insects whose immature stage (called naiad or, colloquially, nymph) usually lasts one year in fresh water. See also Polyrhachis sokolova, an Australian aquatic ant is not actually an ant "Immature" redirects here For info on the general word see Wiktionary article Immature In Biology, a nymph is the immature form of some Insects which undergoes incomplete metamorphosis ( Hemimetabolism) before reaching its adult In Biology, a nymph is the immature form of some Insects which undergoes incomplete metamorphosis ( Hemimetabolism) before reaching its adult Freshwater is a word that refers to bodies of water such as Ponds lakes rivers and streams containing low concentrations of dissolved Salts and other Total dissolved The adults are short-lived, from a few hours to a few days depending on the species. About 2,500 species are known worldwide, including about 630 species in North America. Common names for mayflies include "dayfly", "shadfly", "Green Bay Flies", "Canadian soldier", and "fishfly" ^[1].

The mayfly belongs to group 1 taxa, or pollution–sensitive animals. This means if mayflies are in or around the water, the water should be of a good quality.

Naiads

The naiad live primarily in streams under rocks, decaying vegetation, or in the sediment. In Biology, a nymph is the immature form of some Insects which undergoes incomplete metamorphosis ( Hemimetabolism) before reaching its adult Few species live in lakes, but they are among the most prolific. For example, the emergence of one species of Hexagenia was recorded on doppler radar along the shores of Lake Erie ^[2].

Most species feed on algae or diatoms, but there are a few predatory species. The naiad stage may last from several months to as long as several years, with a number of moults along the way. Ecdysis is the Molting of the Cuticula in Arthropods and related groups ( Ecdysozoa) Mayfly naiads are distinctive in that most have seven pairs of gills on the dorsum of the abdomen. A gill is an anatomical structure found in many aquatic organisms In Vertebrates such as Mammals the abdomen (belly constitutes the part of the body between the Thorax (chest and Pelvis. In addition, most possess three long cerci or tails at the end of their bodies. Cerci (singular cercus) are paired Appendages on the rear-most segments of many Arthropods including Insects and Arachnids but not (Some species, notably in the genus Epeorus, have only two tails. ) In the last aquatic stage, dark wingpads are visible. Developmentally, these insects are considered hemimetabolous insects. Hemimetabolism or hemimetaboly, also called incomplete metamorphosis, is a term used to describe the mode of development of certain insects that includes A more casual and familiar term is incomplete metamorphosis. Metamorphosis is a Biological process by which an Animal physically develops after Birth or hatching involving a conspicuous and relatively Mayflies are unique among the winged insects in that they moult one more time after acquiring functional wings (this is also known as the alate stage); this second-to-last winged instar is usually very short, often a matter of hours, and is known as a subimago or to fly fishermen as a dun. The subimago is the stage of development in an insect in which the insect is winged and capable of flight but not yet sexually mature This stage is a favourite food of many fish, and many fishing flies are modelled to resemble them.

Adult

The lifespan of an adult mayfly can vary from just 30 minutes to one day depending on the species. The primary function of the adult is reproduction; the mouthparts are vestigial, and the digestive system is filled with air. The mouthparts of Arthropods have evolved into a number of forms each adapted to a different style or mode of feeding The wings are membranous (similar to a house fly's wings but with many more veins) and are held upright like those of a butterfly. The forewings are much larger than the hind wings. In most species, the males' eyes are usually large and the front legs unusually long, for use in locating and grasping females during mid-air mating. In some species, all legs aside from the males' front legs are useless.

It often happens that all the mayflies in a population mature at once (the hatch), and for a day or two in the spring or fall, mayflies will be everywhere, dancing around each other in large groups, or resting on every available surface. This happens in mid-June on the Tisza River in Serbia and Hungary; this kind of mayfly is called the tiszavirág (in Hungarian) or "tiski cvet" in Serbian which is translated as "Tisza flower". "Tisa" redirects here For other uses see Tisa (disambiguation and Tisza (disambiguation. Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic This natural phenomenon is called Tisza blooming. In certain regions of New Guinea and Africa, mayflies are eaten when they emerge en masse on a certain day. New Guinea, located just north of Australia, is the world's second largest island, having become separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known

Because of its short lifespan, the mayfly is also called one–day fly in some languages — French éphémère, German Eintagsfliege, Dutch eendagsvlieg, Slovenian enodnevnica, Swedish dagsslända. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname Slovene or Slovenian ( slovenski jezik or slovenščina, not to be confused with Slovenčina) is a South Slavic language Swedish ( is a North Germanic language spoken by more than nine million people predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the

Ecology

Both immature and adult mayflies are an important part of the food web, particularly for carnivorous fish such as trout in cold water streams or bass and catfish in warm water streams. Food chains, also called food networks and/or trophic networks, describe the feeding relationships between species within an Ecosystem. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two Trout is the common name given to a number of Species of Freshwater Fish belonging to the Salmonidae family Bass (ˈbæs is a name shared by many different species of popular Gamefish. Catfish ( order Siluriformes) are a very diverse group of bony Fish. They do not feed (mouthparts are vestigial), and some species emerge, reproduce, and die in a single day. Males generally fly in swarms that undulate in the air 5-15 meters above the ground.

A mayfly — note the two very long front legs and the two long "tails" at the hind end.

Conservation

The status of most species of mayflies is unknown because many species are only known from the original collection data. Four North American species are believed to be extinct:-

• Pentagenia robusta was originally collected from the Ohio River near Cincinnati, but this species has not been seen since its original collection in the 1800s. UserPolbot. --> Pentagenia robusta was a species of Insect in family Ephemeridae. The Ohio River is the largest Tributary by volume of the Mississippi River.
• Ephemera compar was reported from the "foothills of Colorado". Despite intensive surveys of the Colorado mayflies, this species has not been collected in the past 50 years.
• The large blue lake mayfly, Tasmanophlebia lecuscoerulea, is listed as vulnerable.

External links

• American mayfly behavior, biology, and photographs
• Adult Mayfly Hexagenia sp. diagnostic photographs
• Tree of Life info for Ephemeroptera
• CSIRO page for Ephemeroptera
• Mayfly Central hosted by Purdue University
• The Vodafone Mayfly Manifesto, a unique advertising spot with the mayfly as main actor
• An animated GIF of a mayfly hatching so large that it was caught on radar by NOAA
• Photos: The greatest Tisza blooming on the World - Tisza - Kanjiza
• Bibliography of Ephemeroptera

References

Mayflies covering a truck in North Bay, Ontario. North Bay ( time zone EST) is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada (2006 population 53966