Mayfly, the insect with the shortest lifespan
Time runs very fast for an adult mayfly. Do you know why? Because it lives on Earth only for 24 hours or less. Mayfly is an aquatic insect belonging to the same group of insects as dragonflies.
An adult mayfly lives only 24 hours
Mayflies spend most of their lives in water as nymphs. They live as aquatic larvae for about a year or maybe more and as soon as they reproduce, they die. And therefore, they emerge as adults for only a short while.
But why does the adult mayfly die so soon? Actually, the primary function of the adult is to reproduce. These adult mayflies lack functional mouthparts and thus are unable to eat. Their digestive systems are filled with air. That’s the reason they cannot survive for longer durations and have short lifespan. Infact, some species of mayflies only live for 8-10 hours after they become an adult.
An interesting fact about adult mayflies is that throughout the years, they have maintained the structure of the first existing flies, with long tails and wings that stay upright like a butterfly. Did you know that mayflies are the only insects that form wings before becoming fully grown adults?
What’s behind the name?
You may find the nomenclature of mayflies a little misleading. It does not mean that they only fly in May but actually their name means ‘short-lived with wings’ in Greek. In fact, they hatch out in big numbers in spring and continue hatching until autumn. This widescale hatching attracts a lot of photographers who gather to capture this rare sight. This event is called the 'Mayfly Hatch'!
Why are mayflies important?
Mayflies tend to be grey, yellow, or brown and have long, thin abdomens. Mayfly nymphs generally develop in streams and rivers that are relatively clean and therefore, they are often used as a bioindicator species to measure the health of the water. Confused? Let us explain this for you.
Mayfly species are rather particular about their choice of habitat. Since they cannot tolerate any pollution in the water and could die of it, their health is often used as an indicator of water pollution.
They also serve as an important component of the food chain in many freshwater ecosystems. They have mouthparts adapted for feeding on algae and other soft organic materials. Most mayflies are herbivores but a few species are also carnivores of other aquatic invertebrates. The grazing by mayflies is important to avoid a build-up of a large biomass of aquatic algae. Also, because they can be quite abundant in many habitats, they are an important food source for many species of predators. Depending on the species of mayfly, they come in different sizes and fascinating colours, making them attractive visually and also attractive to predators (including several species of fish who prey on these abundant little mayflies).