mayfly - Trivia

A winged insect with a short adult life. Mayflies live as aquatic larvae for up to four years, then emerge as non-feeding, flying adults that survive only 2–72 hours, during which time mating takes place. (Order: Ephemeroptera, c.2000 species.)

iMayflies
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

The mayflies belong to the order Ephemeroptera (Ephemeroptera: Greek Ephemeros - short-lived, pteron - wing, referring to the short life span of adults).

The naiad (sometimes the term nymph is used in the older literature, and is still more common among non-scientists) live primarily in streams under rocks, decaying vegetation, or in the sediment. Most species feed on algae or diatoms, but there are a few predaceous species. Mayflies are unique among the winged insects in that they molt one more time after acquiring functional wings (this is also known as the alate stage);

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.

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.

Mayflies are also an industrial nuisance, as the large population of dead adults can clog the intakes of air and water supply systems.

In literature mayflies can sometimes illustrate something hard to find and/or obtain.

There are four North American species 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 1800's. Despite intensive surveys of the Colorado mayflies, this species has not been collected in the past half century.

The status of most species of mayflies is unknown as numerous species are only known from the original collection data.

In certain regions of New Guinea and Africa, mayflies are eaten when they emerge en masse on a certain day.

Trivia

Because of this short life, the mayfly is also called one day fly in some languages, e.g.

The name One day fly also means one hit wonder in German, Danish and Dutch. Comparison of old and new world Acanthametropus (Ephemeroptera: Acanthametretopodidae) and other psammophilous mayflies Entomological News 102: 205-214. The gentle quest: 200 years in search of North American mayflies. Diversity and distribution of the mayflies (Ephemeroptera) from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. New species and records of the mayflies (Insecta) from Mexico.