Mayfly (ephemeroptera)
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As fossil evidence shows, mayflies belong to an order of insects dating back 3-400 million years. In that time they have witnessed the the staggering extinction of 99.9% of animal species.
Another characteristic which makes them unique is that there are two different winged adult forms in their life cycle; the nymph emerges from the water as a dull-coloured sub-imago, which after a couple of hours or so, sheds its skin to transform into the brightly coloured imago, called a spinner.
Their lifecycle is one of the most fascinating and fleeting stories in the natural world. In a blaze of sexual glory, the males begin a 'dance', swarming on mass above the water, with females flying horizontally into the swarm . After mating on the wing, the male releases his leg grip on the female which then descends to the surface of the water to deposit her thousands of fertilised eggs, and where soon after, she dies. As for the male, he rarely returns from to the water, but instead ends his short life on land.
Tiny nymphs eventually hatch from the eggs, and for the next two years forage on the bottom of the water and grow in size, shedding their skin some twenty times. When fully grown, they make their way to the surface, and emerge as adult flies. Before taking to flight, they dry their newly exposed wings, making them vulnerable to fish and such birds as swifts and swallows.
Mayfly (ephemeroptera)
MANY THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND FAVS........PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT MY PHOTOSTREAM FOR HOPEFULLY MORE OF THE SAME.
As fossil evidence shows, mayflies belong to an order of insects dating back 3-400 million years. In that time they have witnessed the the staggering extinction of 99.9% of animal species.
Another characteristic which makes them unique is that there are two different winged adult forms in their life cycle; the nymph emerges from the water as a dull-coloured sub-imago, which after a couple of hours or so, sheds its skin to transform into the brightly coloured imago, called a spinner.
Their lifecycle is one of the most fascinating and fleeting stories in the natural world. In a blaze of sexual glory, the males begin a 'dance', swarming on mass above the water, with females flying horizontally into the swarm . After mating on the wing, the male releases his leg grip on the female which then descends to the surface of the water to deposit her thousands of fertilised eggs, and where soon after, she dies. As for the male, he rarely returns from to the water, but instead ends his short life on land.
Tiny nymphs eventually hatch from the eggs, and for the next two years forage on the bottom of the water and grow in size, shedding their skin some twenty times. When fully grown, they make their way to the surface, and emerge as adult flies. Before taking to flight, they dry their newly exposed wings, making them vulnerable to fish and such birds as swifts and swallows.