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Mayflies are short-lived winged insects that spend months or years as nymphs. They are sensitive to pollution and found in clean water. Mayflies are related to dragonflies and crickets and are classified under Paleoptera, a group characterized by wings that cannot be folded backwards. They live just long enough to reproduce and die. There are approximately 2,500 species of mayflies worldwide, with 630 species found in North America.
Mayflies are a group of winged insects classified under the Order Ephemeroptera, meaning “short-lived wing” in Greek. Mayflies are famous for their short adult life spans ranging from one day to 30 minutes. This makes them one of the animals that spend the shortest time as adults, including all known microorganisms.
Mayflies superficially resemble a cross between dragonflies and crickets, both of which they are related. Mayflies spend months or years in an undeveloped form called a nymph. The mayflies of a given population tend to ripen all at the same time, covering every available surface and being ubiquitous for their very short lifespan. They live just long enough to reproduce and die. In contrast, most other insects live for at least a few weeks.
There are approximately 2,500 species of mayflies known worldwide, with 630 species found in North America. Like dragonflies and damsels, mayflies are classified in an ancient group called Paleoptera. This group is characterized by the presence of wings but not by the ability to fold them backwards, a characteristic that most other insects possess. Most insects fall under the Neoptera, which means “new winged insects,” which are known to be a monophyletic group (descended from a common ancestor). The Paleoptera may not be a monophyletic group, but simply what remains when the Neoptera are subtracted. Most Paleoptera members are fossils, with relatively few extant species.
Mayflies are known to be very sensitive to pollution, which means that where they are found, the water is very clean. Mayfly naiads live mostly in streams under rocks, but some live on lakes. These are among the most prolific and occur in such concentrations that their simultaneous growth into an adult form has been detected using Doppler radar. Lake Erie is famous for its concentration of mayflies.
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