Heptageniidae

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Common Name

Flatheaded Mayfly

Scientific Name

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Ephemeroptera

Family

Heptageniidae

Lab Storage

Feeding

Primarily scrapers, also collector-gatherers. Their flat head shields their mouthparts, allowing them to scrape food from substrate before it's swept away.

Water Quality Tolerance

Chiefly somewhat sensitive, others very sensitive to facultative.

Fact

5-20mm, not including antennae and tails. Their body and legs are distinctly flattened. Their gills are thin, flat disks that are round/oval and never have forks or pointed filaments. The gills have fine filaments visible ventrally, where the gills attach to the body. For more photos, refer to our online gallery: tinyurl.com/uvrj3x8

Habitat

Primarily lotic-erosional, some lentic-erosional. Can be found in all sizes of flowing waters from brooks to large rivers. Larvae are most common on anchored substrate such as large stones and water-soaked wood.

References

Voshell & Wright. 2002.