Mayflies have a short adult lifespan, often living just a few hours before dying. Despite their brief existence, mayfly larvae can live for 1 to 3 years underwater before emerging to molt into adult mayflies.
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(Image: alles) |
After mating, adult mayflies lay their eggs in water, and the larvae must live underwater for 1 to 3 years before crawling onto land to molt and become adult mayflies.
Mayflies are a relatively ancient type of insect that has existed for over 300 million years. There are approximately 2,000 species of mayflies, which are widely distributed. Their bodies are small and delicate, with a small head, large eyes, fragile membranous wings that can easily fall off, and very small legs, which are not used for crawling but only for perching.
Mayfly larvae typically emerge as subimagos after sunset. At this stage, they resemble adult mayflies but are still covered by a translucent membrane, with dark wings that are not yet flexible or capable of mating. After molting, the subimago develops clear and bright membranous tails, becoming a mature mayfly. During their adult stage, they do not consume food; their sole focus is on mating and laying eggs. After laying eggs, they die, resulting in the death of numerous mayflies around lakes, often making the ground slippery. From the time the eggs hatch into larvae, they usually undergo 20 to 24 molts, sometimes up to 40 times. Mayfly larvae are a tasty food source for fish.
The adult mayfly’s rapid death is due to the degeneration of its mouthparts, rendering it unable to eat or drink.
(Image: guillaume.doucet)
