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''Ephemera danica'', the green drake or green drake mayfly, is a species of mayfly in the genus '' Ephemera''.
These insects are part of the aerial plankton and usually they are food for swallows, trouts and many amphibians and spiders.
The adults mainly can be found in May–June (hence the common name of mayfly), at the end of many larval stages. However adults may be often present between April and November. The lifetime of adults is very short (around four days at the most), hence its genus name ( Ephemera).
Females fly on the surface of the water, dip the abdomen onto the surface and lay the eggs. At the end of this process females fall on to the surface and die.
Fauna europaea
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Catalogue of Life
* * Mayflies Insects of Europe Insects described in 1764 Taxa named by Otto Friedrich Müller {{mayfly-stub
Description
''Ephemera danica'' can reach an imago size of in males, while females are larger, reaching . This mayfly, with its characteristic markings and three tails ( Cerci), is the most commonly seen of BritishEphemeridae
Ephemeridae is a family of mayflies with about 150 described species found throughout the world except Australia and Oceania. These are generally quite large mayflies (up to 35 mm) with either two or three very long tails. Many species have ...
. Imago
In biology, the imago (Latin for "image") is the last stage an insect attains during its metamorphosis, its process of growth and development; it is also called the imaginal stage, the stage in which the insect attains maturity. It follows the f ...
wings are translucent with dark veining, while in subimago
Mayflies (also known as shadflies or fishflies in Canada and the upper Midwestern United States, as Canadian soldiers in the American Great Lakes region, and as up-winged flies in the United Kingdom) are aquatic insects belonging to the order ...
they are dull and yellowish with brown veins. Moreover, forelegs and the tails of the spinners are very much longer than in duns. Mouthparts are non-functional, as adults do not feed. These insects are part of the aerial plankton and usually they are food for swallows, trouts and many amphibians and spiders.
Life cycle
The life cycle usually takes one or two years, but sometimes the developing nymphal forms may last for up to three years. Nymphs can reach about of length. They dig tunnels into the gravel in the beds of rivers and feed by filtering organic detritus. They emerge in Spring and move towards shallow waters.
The adults mainly can be found in May–June (hence the common name of mayfly), at the end of many larval stages. However adults may be often present between April and November. The lifetime of adults is very short (around four days at the most), hence its genus name ( Ephemera).
Females fly on the surface of the water, dip the abdomen onto the surface and lay the eggs. At the end of this process females fall on to the surface and die.
Distribution and habitat
This species is commonly found in clear water rivers and lakes with sandy or gravel bottoms throughout Europe and the British Isles./ref>
See also
*List of mayflies of the British Isles
This list of the mayflies recorded in the British Isles follows Macadam, with nomenclature and taxonomy according to Kluge. There are 51 species of mayfly known to occur in the British Isles, distributed among ten family (biology), families.
;Amel ...
References
*Catalogue of Life
* * Mayflies Insects of Europe Insects described in 1764 Taxa named by Otto Friedrich Müller {{mayfly-stub