Mayfly
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Mayflies or Shadflies are an insect belonging to the Order Ephemeroptera (from the Greek ephemeros = "short-lived", pteron = "wing", referring to the brief lifespan of adults). They have been placed into an ancient group of insects termed the Palaeoptera, which also contains dragonflies and damselflies. They are aquatic insects whose immature stage (called "naiad" or, colloquially, "nymph") usually lasts one year in freshwater. The adults are short-lived, from a few minutes to a few days depending on the species. About 2,500 species are known worldwide, including about 630 species in North America.
Lifespan
Because of its short lifespan, the mayfly is called one-day or one-day fly in many languages.
It often happens that all the mayflies in a population mature at once (a hatch), and for a day or two in the spring or fall, mayflies will be everywhere, dancing around each other in large groups, or resting on every available surface.
In regions of New Guinea and Africa, mayflies are eaten when they emerge en masse.
See also