mayfly

may·fly

M0165200 (mā′flī′)n. Any of various delicate, winged insects of the order Ephemeroptera that develop from aquatic nymphs and in the adult stage live no longer than a few days and do not feed.

mayfly

(ˈmeɪˌflaɪ) n, pl -flies1. (Animals) Also called: dayfly any insect of the order Ephemeroptera (or Ephemerida). The short-lived adults, found near water, have long tail appendages and large transparent wings; the larvae are aquatic2. (Angling) angling an artificial fly resembling this

may•fly

(ˈmeɪˌflaɪ)

n., pl. -flies. any of numerous insects of the family Ephemeridae, with large transparent forewings and threadlike tails, living for a relatively long period as an aquatic nymph and only for two days or less as an adult. [1645–55]

Thesaurus

Noun

mayfly - slender insect with delicate membranous wings having an aquatic larval stage and terrestrial adult stage usually lasting less than two daysdayfly, shadflyephemerid, ephemeropteran - short-lived insectEphemeridae, family Ephemeridae - mayflies

Translations

effimera

mayfly

mayfly,

any insectinsect,
invertebrate animal of the class Insecta of the phylum Arthropoda. Like other arthropods, an insect has a hard outer covering, or exoskeleton, a segmented body, and jointed legs. Adult insects typically have wings and are the only flying invertebrates.
..... Click the link for more information. of the order Ephemeroptera, so named because the adults live for a short time, often only a single day, during which they molt twice, mate, and lay their eggs in freshwater. The adults are medium to large, shiny, slender insects with two pairs of fragile, transparent, many-veined wings, and two or three long threadlike tails. The long forelegs of the male are used to clasp the female during the mating flight. Mayflies, also called June bugs, shad flies, and salmon flies, emerge by the thousands from streams, ponds, and lakes at twilight in the early spring; the males form large mating swarms and when a female flies into the swarm she is seized by a male and the two depart to mate. Mayflies lack fully developed mouthparts and do not feed. The insect undergoes incomplete metamorphosismetamorphosis
[Gr.,=transformation], in zoology, term used to describe a form of development from egg to adult in which there is a series of distinct stages. Many insects, amphibians, mollusks, crustaceans, and fishes undergo metamorphosis, which may involve a change in habitat,
..... Click the link for more information. , the egg hatching directly into an aquatic naiad, or nymph, with chewing mouthparts, which passes through some 20 nymphal stages over a period of two years or more, feeding on algae and diatoms and breathing oxygen taken directly from water by gills. It emerges from the water to transform into a subadult phase known as the subimago, unique among insects, in which it has wings and can fly but has immature legs, tail, and reproductive system. Adult mayflies are an important food source for many animals; several fishing flies are modeled after them. Mayflies are classified in the phylum ArthropodaArthropoda
[Gr.,=jointed feet], largest and most diverse animal phylum. The arthropods include crustaceans, insects, centipedes, millipedes, spiders, scorpions, and the extinct trilobites.
..... Click the link for more information. , class Insecta, order Ephemeroptera.

mayfly

[′mā‚flī] (invertebrate zoology) The common name for insects composing the order Ephemeroptera.

mayfly

1. any insect of the order Ephemeroptera (or Ephemerida). The short-lived adults, found near water, have long tail appendages and large transparent wings; the larvae are aquatic 2. Angling an artificial fly resembling this

See mayfly

mayfly

may·fly

mayfly

may•fly

mayfly

mayfly,

mayfly

mayfly

mayfly

Synonyms for mayfly

noun slender insect with delicate membranous wings having an aquatic larval stage and terrestrial adult stage usually lasting less than two days

Synonyms

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