The mayflies belong to the order Ephemeroptera (Ephemeroptera: 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 (the dragonflies also belong to this group.) They are aquatic insects where the immature stage occurs in fresh water (called naiads). The adults are short-lived, maybe as little as a few hours to a day or two, depending on the species. Worldwide about 2,500 species are known. In North America, there are about 630 species. Some common names for these insects include dayfly, shadfly, fishfly, and Canadian soldier^*.

The naiad (sometimes the term nymph is used in the older literature) live primarily in streams under rocks or in the sediment. Very few species live in lakes, but those that do can occur in huge numbers. For example, the emergence of one species of Hexagenia was recorded on doppler radar along the shores of Lake Erie. Most species graze on algae. There are very few predaceous species. In the USA the predaceous species tend to live in sand bottomed streams such as those found in Nebraska and Iowa (certain streams in Indiana and Illinois have also been known to have the predaceous forms.) The naiad stage may last from several months to as long as several years, with a number of molts along the way. Mayfly naiads are distinctive in having seven pairs of abdominal gills. 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 molt 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 favorite food of many fish, and many fishing flies are modeled to resemble them.

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). The forewings are much larger than the hind wings. The males' eyes are usually large, and the front legs long, used to grasp females and often held in front when resting. In some species, all legs aside from the males' front legs are useless. The majority of the life of the adult is spent in mating swarms.

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achei um ephemeroptera na parede da cozinha de casa! olho biônico.
ligiambc (Ligia Maria) Sat, 26 Dec 2009 03:38:44 -0000
achei um ephemeroptera na parede da cozinha de casa! olho biônico.
@lafolie_ nao gosto mto de coleopteros... prefiro larvas de ephemeroptera *conversa de biologa* xD
dessamorango (Dessa Morango) Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:55:21 -0000
@lafolie_ nao gosto mto de coleopteros... prefiro larvas de ephemeroptera *conversa de biologa* xD

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