What is a mayfly nymph?

Mayfly larvae (also called naiads or nymphs) are slender and soft-bodied, like adults, though they lack wings, have a series of leaflike or feathery external gills attached along the sides or on the top rear portion of the abdomen, have smaller eyes than adults, and often have a flattened head that helps them to adhere …

What are the stages of a mayfly?

The life cycle of mayflies consists of four stages: egg, nymph, subimago, and imago.

What is mayflies lifespan?

Mayflies have an incredibly short lifespan. After the larva stage, female mayflies usually live less than five minutes, while males can live a whopping two days.

Where are mayfly nymph found?

Mayflies are found throughout North America and worldwide. Most of the nymphs develop in streams and rivers that are relatively clean. Mayfly larvae feed on detritus and other plant materials. Some may feed on insects.

What do mayfly nymphs feed on?

They are also detritivores as well as omnivores. Most commonly, nymphs will feed on decaying matter in the habitat, or algae that is growing among the substrate. They will also feed on weedy plants at the bottom of the water.

Do mayflies have complete metamorphosis?

Mayflies go through a change called metamorphosis. Unlike butterflies that have four stages (egg, larva, pupa, adult), mayflies go through three stages. This is incomplete metamorphosis. Use the letters ENA to remember each step: Egg, nymph and adult.

Who eats mayfly?

Trout and other fish consume mayfly naiads as food. Mayfly naiads are also the food choice of birds, flies, frogs, parasitic roundworms, and water beetles. Caddisfly larvae and snails may eat the eggs of mayflies. Birds, dragonflies, fish, and water beetles eat mayflies that are in the early adult stage.

Why is it called a mayfly?

In the north of England and most of Scotland the term mayfly is generally used for all species in the order Ephemeroptera. The common name comes from the habit of one species, Ephemera danica, which emerge as adults when the Mayflower or Hawthorn is in bloom.

Are mayflies poisonous?

While mayflies are typically not harmful to humans, their infestation can be especially annoying during the mating season beginning in May (as the name suggests).