Mayfly  (Heptagenia longicauda)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Description

This mayfly is very rare in Britain, and has only ever been found three times in this country (3). The aquatic nymphs of Heptagenia longicauda can be distinguished from those of the similar species H. sulphurea by the details of the filamentous gills at the very tip of the abdomen(3). All adult mayflies, which are very short-lived, fly weakly on their gauzy, delicate wings. The wings are not folded over the body when at rest, but are held aloft; this characteristic has earned mayflies the alternative name of ‘upwing flies’(4). Mayflies are so called because in many species the adults emerge in May. They are not true flies, however, but belong to the order Ephemeroptera, the most primitive group of winged insects (5).

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