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#51: Mayflies

Litinsects #51: Mayflies

Mayflies are aquatic freshwater insects and belong to one of the most primitive winged insect lineages!

First off, what’s in a name? Mayflies’ common name comes from the fact that some species start “hatching” from the water in May. But their scientific name is much more interesting and accurate; this order is named EPHEMEROPTERA from the Greek “ephemera” for “lasting one day / temporary” and “pteron” for “wing”. A more fitting name would be dayfly, considering their adult lifespan... Most live less than 24 hours after emerging, the shortest adult lifespan of any insect!


-Mayflies have triangular-shaped wings that are held upright over their bodies when at rest (sort of like a butterfly) and have three long tail-like filaments. These characteristics, both of which make them easily recognizable, are probably traits that were present in the most primitive flying insects

-They are HEMIMETABOLOUS insects, meaning they go through incomplete metamorphosis, with multiple stages that look physically similar. The aquatic nymphs, also called NAIADS, may live up to a number of YEARS in the water, molting 10-50 times (more than most other insects) and feeding on algae or detritus

-Instead of molting from naiad straight to adult, mayflies have an extra developmental stage called a SUBIMAGO, which is winged but not yet sexually mature. This is the ONLY insect group to molt once again AFTER FUNCTIONAL WINGS ARE PRESENT. The final adult stage however lacks functional mouthparts... because they live such a short time, their sole objective is reproduction!

-An oft-seen phenomenon is the synchronized emergence of adult mayflies around spring or summer, with large mating swarms lasting for a few days before they suddenly all seem to disappear again. Considering the short adult lifespan, this makes perfect sense; after all it would be pretty disadvantageous to all emerge at different times and run the risk of not immediately finding a mate

-Mayflies are often used as indicator species. Because they are sensitive to pollution, their presence can often indicate the health of streams or rivers

And because I’m sure you were wondering: the shortest adult lifespan of any mayfly (thereby also the shortest of ANY insect species) is less than 5 MINUTES! Better hope there’s someone close by to mate with!

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