adult mayfly

Class: Hexapoda (animals with six legs - includes all insects)
Order: Ephemeroptera (mayflies)
    ephemera = short-lived and ptera = wings (singular is pteron)
Family: undetermined
Species: undetermined
Common Name: mayfly (not species specific)
Date: 2003 September 13
Place: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
    Frijole Ranch (on door frame)

Juvenile mayflies are aquatic insects. Most species feed on detritus and algae but a few are carnivorous. Adult lifespans are generally short, ranging from a few hours to several days for most species. In some areas of the country, large short-lived mating swarms of adults occur. Because of the brief adult lifespans and hence the uncertainty of finding adults for identification, juveniles are often collected and raised to maturity in order to determine their exact species.

I have included the following picture of the aquatic juvenile for reference only.

juvenile mayfly

juvenile mayfly in the water (NOT FROM THIS AREA)
2001 February 09 from Sabino Canyon, Tucson, Arizona

Links

Note: This is a personal web site and is not affiliated with the National Park Service or Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Contact information for the author, Ron Lyons, is accessible through the Index Page referenced below. Thank you.