Insect Orders
Ephemeroptera: Mayflies
The Ephemeroptera Order: Mayflies
Mayflies spend the majority of their life underwater as nymphs (Incomplete Metamorphosis). Uniquely, mayflies have a winged but usually sexually immature stage before becoming an adult, called a subimago that is found outside of the water. This stage only lasts a few minutes or hours. The subimago is covered with a dense layer of tiny hairs called microtrichia which causes it to be relatively waterproof.