Mayflies

Distribution

Habitats

The following habitats are found across the Mayflies distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.

Rivers and streams
Rivers and streams, burns, brooks and springs – the names are varied but the flora and fauna all have to cope with the same thing: water that flows continuously in one direction. If you live here you need a way to avoid being washed downstream and ultimately into the sea.

Behaviours

Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.

• Adapted to swimming
• Adapted to flying
• Metamorphosis
• Moulting
• Egg layer
• Semelparous
• Spawning
• Swarming
• Visual communication

Fossil types

Learn more about the other animals and plants that also form these fossils.

Amber
Amber owes its existence to the defence mechanisms of certain kinds of tree. When the bark is punctured or infected, a sticky resin oozes out to seal the damage and sterilise the area.

About

Mayflies or shadflies are insects belonging to the order Ephemeroptera (from the Greek εφημερος, ephemeros = "short-lived" (literally "lasting a day" "daily" or "day-long"), πτερον, pteron = "wing", referring to the brief lifespan of adults). They have been placed into an ancient group of insects termed the Palaeoptera, which also contains 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 minutes to a few days, depending on the species. About 2,500 species are known worldwide, including about 630 species in North America.

Read more at Wikipedia