Great mayfly
| Great mayfly | ||||||||||
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Great Mayfly ( Ephemera danica ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Ephemera danica | ||||||||||
| Müller , 1764 |
The great mayfly or Danish mayfly ( Ephemera danica ) is a mayfly from the Ephemeridae family . They are among the most common types of mayflies in Central Europe .
features
The animals have transparent, slightly darkly spotted wings and three tail threads at the end of the abdomen. Their abdomen is yellowish and, in contrast to the very similar common mayfly ( Ephemera vulgata ), only has a strong, brown comma mark on the posterior abdominal segments, otherwise it is only faintly recognizable. They have a body length of 15 to 25 millimeters and a wingspan of 35 to 45 millimeters, the females are slightly larger than the males. The tail threads are 35 to 40 millimeters long in the male, but only 15 to 25 millimeters long in the female. The males are further distinguished by their very long front legs, which are stretched forward while sitting.
The yellowish-light brown larvae have a narrow and cylindrical body. They are about 30 millimeters long and also have three tail threads that measure about 10 millimeters. Their mandibles are narrow and pointed, their legs are short and strong. Two-branched, feathery gills can be seen on the top of the body.
Occurrence
The animals are found all over Europe up to a height of about 1,000 meters. They live in clean streams and rivers, but avoid excessive turbulence. But they also occur in stagnant waters. They fly for two to four days from May to September, but are particularly common in June.
development
The females lay their eggs in the water and, in flight, dip their abdomen into the water several times. After laying eggs, they die and drop into the water. The larvae live on the bottom of the water in sandy or muddy areas. They dig through the substrate and filter out their food, detritus (dead organic material). They are fully grown and ready to leave the water after at least two years. As with all mayflies, the subimago hatches from the larval skin, which in contrast to the adult animal still has clouded wings. Their tail threads are also shorter. They fly into the vegetation near the shore and shed their skin into an adult insect after a day or two. Groups of males fly in loops ready to mate before and during twilight over and around waters, looking for females. As soon as a couple has found each other, it sinks to the ground, clasped.
literature
- Heiko Bellmann : The New Cosmos Insect Guide , Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co KG, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-440-07682-2
Web links
- Ephemera danica at Fauna Europaea