| Mayfly
Nymphs
Freshwater fish, like trout, love to snack on Mayfly
Nymphs. Mayflies belong to the order Ephemeroptera,
which means short-lived wings (Ephemeros - one day,
and Pteron - wing).
What they look like:
Mayfly Nymphs usually have three long tails or
cerci (sir-key). Some species have leaf-like
side gills along their abdomen. They have a single claw
on each leg, short antennae and sometimes, wing pads.
Size:
15 mm or less.
Where they live:
Mayfly Nymphs live under stones in fast-flowing water
or among plants in slow streams. Some species live in
small burrows at the bottom of the stream. Some are
flat and cling to the bottom of rocks in fast-flowing
streams. They are mostly found in cool, more permanent
water bodies like streams and lakes.
What they eat:
Mayfly Nymphs are either herbivores (herb-ee-vorz),
eating only plant matter, or detritivores (det-try-tee-vorz),
feeding on decaying material. They generally feed on
top of stones and retreat underneath to escape predators.
Some species are collectors, filter-feeding on material
floating in the water, while others are scrapers, actively
scraping plant material from rocks. Some adults are
predatory, while some don't eat at all. Mayfly nymphs
are a good food for fish.
Pollution
tolerance: Very sensitive, rating 9.
Mayfly Nymphs are sensitive to low levels of oxygen
in the water. They prefer cool water as it dissolves
oxygen more easily than warm water. They are sensitive
to chemical pollution in the water, flow rate of
the waterway and sunlight (preferring shady spots). |
What’s interesting about
the Mayfly Nymph?
|
