NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Mayfly

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). They have been placed into an ancient group of insects termed the Paleoptera, which also contains the dragonflies and damselflies. They are aquatic insects whose immature stage (called naiad or, colloquially, nymph) usually lasts one year in fresh water. 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", "Canadian soldier", and "fishfly" ^[1]. Orders Subclass Apterygota Archaeognatha (bristletails) Thysanura (silverfish) Subclass Pterygota Infraclass Paleoptera (Probably paraphyletic) Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Superorder Exopterygota Grylloblattodea (ice-crawlers) Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Embioptera (webspinners) Zoraptera (angel insects) Dermaptera (earwigs) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, etc) Phasmatodea (stick insects) Blattodea (cockroaches) Isoptera (termites) Mantodea (mantids) Psocoptera... In scientific classification used in biology, the order (Latin: ordo, plural ordines) is a rank between class and family (termed a taxon at that rank). ... Wing structure of a dragonfly (family Gomphidae) Insect wings are outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. ... Orders Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Diaphanopterodea - extinct Protodonata - extinct Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) The name Paleoptera 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 the abdomen as characterizes the... Families Aeshnidae Austropetaliidae Cordulegastridae Corduliidae Gomphidae Libellulidae Neopetaliidae Petaluridae The dragonfly is an insect belonging to the Order Odonata, Suborder Anisoptera and characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. ... Aquatic insects live some portion of their life cycle in the water. ... IMx, formerly known as Immature, is an American hip-hop and R&B boy band. ... In biology, a nymph is the immature form of some insect species (e. ... Praying mantis nymphs, approximately 4mm long, clustered on a leaf In biology, a nymph is the immature form of some insect species, which undergoes incomplete metamorphosis (Hemimetabolism) before reaching its adult stage; unlike a larva, a nymphs overall form already resembles that of an adult. ... For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Freshwater, Isle of Wight. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ...

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 good quality, perhaps even good enough to drink without distilling or boiling.

Naiads

The naiad (sometimes the term nymph is used in the older literature, and is still more common among non-scientists, although aquatic biologists use the more universal term larva) live primarily in streams under rocks, decaying vegetation, or in the sediment. 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]. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (488x1023, 103 KB) Summary A mayfly (order Ephemeroptera) From en. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (488x1023, 103 KB) Summary A mayfly (order Ephemeroptera) From en. ... A larval insect A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

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. Mayfly naiads are distinctive in that most have seven pairs of gills on the dorsum of the abdomen. In addition, most possess three long cerci or tails at the end of their bodies. (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. A more casual and familiar term is incomplete metamorphosis. 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. This stage is a favourite food of many fish, and many fishing flies are modelled to resemble them. Predator and Prey redirect here. ... Ecdysis is the molting of the cuticula in arthropods and related groups (Ecdysozoa). ... For other uses, see Gill (disambiguation). ... For the human abdomen, see human abdomen. ... A common earwig with large cerci in the background. ... Hemimetabolism or hemimetaboly, also called incomplete metamorphism, is a term used to describe the mode of development of certain insects that includes three distinct stages: the egg, nymph, and the adult stage, or imago. ... A Pieris rapae larva An older Pieris rapae larva A Pieris rapae pupa A Pieris rapae adult Metamorphosis is a process in biology by which an individual physically develops after birth or hatching, and involves significant change in form as well as growth and differentiation. ... 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. ...

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 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. The mouthparts of arthropods have evolved into a number of forms, each adapted to a different style of feeding. ...

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". 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. The Tisza or Tisa is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. ... Not to be confused with Republika Srpska. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ...

Because of its short lifespan, the mayfly is also called one–day fly in some languages — French éphémère, German Eintagsfliege, Dutch eendagsvlieg, Slovenian enodnevnica.

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. 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. Image File history File linksMetadata Shadfly01. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Shadfly01. ... North Bay ( , time zone EST) is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada (2006 population 53,966). ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 294 Ã— 599 pixelsFull resolution (388 Ã— 790 pixel, file size: 115 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)a mayfly File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 294 Ã— 599 pixelsFull resolution (388 Ã— 790 pixel, file size: 115 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)a mayfly File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Figure 1. ... For other uses, see Fish (disambiguation). ... Rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss Biwa trout (or Biwa salmon), Oncorhynchus masou rhodurus Trout is the common name given to a number of species of freshwater fish belonging to the salmon family, Salmonidae. ... Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) Bass (IPA /bÃ¦s/) is a name shared by many different species of popular game fish. ... This article is about the siluriform catfishes; for the Atlantic catfish, see Seawolf (fish); for other uses, see Catfish (disambiguation). ...

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:-

Binomial name McDunnough, 1926 Synonyms Pantagenia robusta McDunnough, 1926 [orth. ... View of Pittsburgh, the largest metropolitan area on the Ohio River, where the Allegheny River (left) and the Monongahela River (right) join at Point State Park to form the Ohio River Cincinnati, Ohio is a well known city along the Ohio River, historically known for its riverboats. ... â€œCincinnatiâ€ redirects here. ...

External links

References

^ Dora Staneff-Cline & William Neff. Born to swarm. The Plain Dealer.
^ Return of the mayfly: an indicator of an improving habitat. Pennsylvania Sea Grant (2003).

Scientific literature

L. Berner & M. L. Pescador (1988). The mayflies of Florida. University of Florida Press, Tallahassee.
B. D. Burks (1953). The mayflies, or Ephemeroptera, of Illinois. Bulletin of the Illinois Natural History Museum 26: 1–216.
G. F. Edmunds Jr., S. L. Jensen & L. Berner (1976). The mayflies of North and Central America. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis.
W. P. McCafferty (1994). Distributional and classificatory supplement to the burrowing mayflies (Ephemeroptera: Ephemeroidea) of the United States. Entomological News 105: 1–13.
W. P. McCafferty (1991). Comparison of old and new world Acanthametropus (Ephemeroptera: Acanthametretopodidae) and other psammophilous mayflies. Entomological News 102: 205–214.
W. P. McCafferty (1996). The Ephemeroptera species of North America and index to their complete nomenclature. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 122: 1–54.
W. P. McCafferty (2001). Trends in Research in Ephemeroptera and Plecoptera: 21–35. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.
W. P. McCafferty, R. S. Durfee & B. C. Kondratieff (1997). Colorado mayflies: an annotated inventory. Southwest Naturalist 38: 252–274.
W. P. McCafferty, T. Hubbard, T. H. Klubertanz, R. P. Randolph & M. Birmingham (2003). Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) of the Great Plains. II: Iowa. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 129: 77–105.
R. P. Randolph & W. P. McCafferty (1998). Diversity and distribution of the mayflies (Ephemeroptera) from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Ohio Biological Survey Bulletin NS13 (1): vii + 188pp.
R. P. Randolph and W. P. McCafferty (2001). New species and records of the mayflies (Insecta) from Mexico. Dugesiana 8: 15–21.
J. G. Needham, J. R. Traver & Y. C. Hsu. Comstock Publishing Co., Ithaca, New York.

Popular sources

Christopher O'Toole (2002). Firefly Encyclopedia of Insects and Spiders. ISBN.

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Category:Ephemeroptera

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