MAYFLY

Importance:

• Generally associated with unpolluted environments. Very sensitive species.
• Important food source for fish because of abundance and availability in streams.

Identification:

• Three tails (called cerci)
• Has single claw at end of each leg

Locomotion:

• Crawlers, awkward at swimming.

What it Eats:

• Usually omnivores, feeding as either collectors or grazers. Eats tiny bits of plants and animals in the water.

Life Cycle:

• Alive for 4 months to 1 year.
• Adult phase extremely short. Sole purpose is to reproduce. Adults neither eat or drink.
  

SCIENTIFIC ORDER: EPHEMEROPTERA

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