Mayfly adults don't eat and have a short life span. They generally live for only a few hours to a few days, so there is a saying of "life and death". I sorted out why mayflies can only live for one day and die. Please refer to it.
Why can a mayfly live only one day and die
With slender body, thin wings and weak feet, mayflies can barely climb grass leaves. In order to be more suitable for flight, its mouthparts have degenerated, and it can't eat even if it's hungry. When it completes its reproductive mission, it will no longer have the strength to live.
If we want to talk about which kind of insect has a short life span, it is probably mayflies. Mayfly is a "short-lived ghost" among insects. Its adults often fly on the water and have a short life span of only a few hours to a week or so.
Mayflies live in freshwater lakes or streams. In spring and summer, from afternoon to evening, groups of males often "fly for marriage", and females fly into the group alone to mate with males. Lay eggs in the water. The egg is small, oval, with various colors, with collaterals on the surface and sticky, and can be attached to the fragments at the bottom of the water.
The number of molts is 1 to 40 months or more. 1 ~ 2 pairs of blackened wing buds can be seen in mature larvae. There are paired tracheobranches on both sides or on the back, which are respiratory organs suitable for living in water. Eat higher aquatic plants and algae. Some species feed on underwater debris in autumn and winter. They often climb and crawl in still water, or dig in the sediment, or live under the gravel in the rapids.
When the juveniles fully grow, they either rise to the water surface, or climb to the stones or plant stems by the water, and then emerge into sub adults after sunset. Similar to adults, sub adults have developed wings, but their body color is dim, their wings are opaque, there are obvious cilia on the trailing edge, and the male gripper is not curved. Stay on plants near the water area after leaving the water. Generally, it becomes an adult after molting for about 24 hours. This phenomenon of molting after adult body shape in ontogeny is only found in Ephemeroptera among winged insects. This type of metamorphosis is specially called protometamorphosis.
Adults don't eat and have a short life span. They generally live for only a few hours to a few days, so there is a saying of "living and dying day by day".
Mayfly birth story
"What's the matter with him?"
"He, he..." the boar is still thinking and tangled. "He won't live long!"
"What? Fox?!"
"The foxes here can only live for one day."
"Ah..."
"And today is the day he lives in the world."
"Is his last..."
"Yes."
"This is terrible!"
"Yes, it's terrible."
At this time, the fox, the central figure of the topic, can't believe it.
Now, even sister mayfly's eyes were full of tears.
"The only day? Oh, you're so pathetic. The news is so... Terrible."
With that, mayfly could not help shivering.
So this is the truth.
"The world is so beautiful that it's worth living for 1000 days, 10000 days and 100 million days! This, this is really... Oh, sorry, my tears can't help falling down..."
Mayfly's small eyes seem to contain two wet but bright little suns. The two suns were shining at first, but the brightness gradually disappeared. Like shining jewelry falling into a dark well, the brilliance also disappeared.
"Oh, sorry, I was so shocked that I couldn't hold back my tears."
The tears stirred the boar's heart even more. Oh, my God, little cute! The fox took out his pocket.