THE ANIMAL FILES

March brown mayfly

No verified Chinese common name in our sources; the English name is retained.

Rhithrogena germanica

A winged mayfly can still have one more moult ahead.

The European March brown mayfly begins as an aquatic nymph on river bottoms. Its emergence produces a winged subimago before a further moult yields the final adult stage.[1]

Follow the evidence ↓
March brown mayfly
Image: Richard Bartz, Munich aka Makro Freak · Commons · CC BY-SA 2.5
Young habitat
River bottoms[1]
Winged stages
Subimago followed by imago[1]
Adult form
Two long tail filaments[1]

Growing beneath flowing water

Nymphs live on the bottom of clean, fast-flowing rivers where dissolved oxygen is high. The visible flying phase follows this aquatic development, linking river conditions with the insects seen above it.[1]

Wings before the final stage

A subimago is already winged but later moults into the imago. It can rest in nearby vegetation between these events. Finding a winged insect does not always mean its outer covering has reached the final stage.[1]

Names need a place attached

In the British Isles, March brown refers to Rhithrogena germanica; in the United States the same common name can refer to another species. Leg markings and scientific identity help keep regional names from being conflated.[1]

A COMMON MIX-UP

Does a winged mayfly never moult again?

No. The winged subimago still moults into the final imago.[1]

TRY A LITTLE REASONING

Why include a scientific name with a regional common name?

Reveal the explanation

The same phrase may name different species in different countries, whereas the scientific name identifies the intended taxon.[1]

Sources & editorial notes

Adapted and translated from the cited Wikipedia revisions, with source-linked reasoning. Image credit and licence are listed separately above.

Adapted and translated from Wikipedia contributors; exact revisions are linked below. CC BY-SA 4.0

  1. Wikipedia contributors — March brown mayfly (fixed revision; adapted and translated)
  2. NCBI Taxonomy — Rhithrogena germanica (identity and classification)

Last fact check:

One discovery leads to another

Canada darnerA Canada darner can spend more than one winter underwater before it flies.Aeshna canadensis ↗American cockroachA name can travel farther than an animal’s origins.Periplaneta americana ↗American bird grasshopperThe same grasshopper can grow up in different colours.Schistocerca americana ↗