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Mayfly

Insects

Mayflies belong to the order Ephemeroptera and are aquatic insects found worldwide, with over 3,000 species known, grouped into more than 400 genera across 42 families. They are distinguished by long tails and wings that do not fold flat over the abdomen, and their aquatic nymphal stage serves as an indicator of water quality, since their presence signals a clean, unpolluted and highly oxygenated environment. Mayflies occur on every continent except Antarctica and are an important part of freshwater ecosystems.

Facts
Classification
System (Realm)
Terrestrial 2
System (Realm)
Freshwater 2
Living or Extinct
Yes 3
Identification
Distinguishing Appearance
Mayflies have long tails and wings that do not fold flat over the abdomen. 1
Comparison
CITES Appendix
Not Listed 4
Scientific Name
Ephemeroptera 1
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Insecta, Taxa
Source Wikidata: Ephemeroptera

In Biome

Alpine, Biomes
Source Wikipedia: Mayfly
Freshwater, Biomes
Source Wikipedia: Mayfly
Lake, Biomes
Source Wikipedia: Mayfly
River, Biomes
Source Wikipedia: Mayfly
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Denmark

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Norway

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sweden

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

United States

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Wikipedia: Mayfly
  • Introductory paragraph
    Mayflies (also up-winged flies or up-wing flies, or drake-flies in the UK; shadflies or fishflies in northern U.S. and Canada) are aquatic insects belonging to the order Ephemeroptera.
  • Description section
    Mayflies have long tails and wings that do not fold flat over the abdomen.
  • In Biome: Lake, Ecology
    Few species live in lakes, but they are among the most prolific.
  • In Biome: Freshwater, Distribution
    Mayflies are distributed all over the world in clean freshwater habitats, though absent from Antarctica.
  • In Biome: River, Distribution
    The main families have some general habitat preferences: the Baetidae favour warm water; the Heptageniidae live under stones and prefer fast-flowing water; and the relatively large Ephemeridae make burrows in sandy lake or river beds.
  • In Biome: Alpine, Conservation
    The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened species includes one mayfly: Tasmanophlebia lacuscoerulei, the large blue lake mayfly, which is a native of Australia and is listed as endangered because its alpine habitat is vulnerable to climate change.
View the Source
2. GBIF Species API
GBIF Species APIView the Source
3. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ174273, descriptionView the Source
4. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Insecta
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 28
Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 28
"cites_listing":"I/II/III/NC","eu_listing":"A/B/C/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":"Arthropoda","class":"Insecta","order":null,"family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"Insectos","language":"ES"},{"name":"Insects","language":"EN"},{"name":"Insectes","language":"FR"},{"name":"昆虫纲","language":"ZH"}],"cites_listings":[]
View the Source
Wikidata: Ephemeroptera
  • Wikidata Q174273, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
  • Child Taxon Of: Insecta, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the Source
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