Photograph by J�zsef L. Szentp�teri
Bursting into brief adulthood, a male long-tailed mayfly molts on a tree root over the Tisza River. Once mature, males have only a few hours to find females and mate before both sexes die. Males' large eyes may help them identify partners.
Photograph by J�zsef L. Szentp�teri
In a blue cape of newly minted wings, an adult male pursues mates. With streaming tails mayflies may reach five inches (12 centimeters) in length. Females molt just once to become adults, but males must do it twice. First they shed into the subadult stage. They remain in this stage only for a few minutes. The most vital development, that of the sexual organs, isn't complete until after the second molt, when males change their brown wings for blue ones. At this point they have only about three hours to mate before they die.
Photograph by J�zsef L. Szentp�teri
Squadrons of mature blue-winged males skim over the river's surface seeking females. Competition is furious. Up to 20 or 30 males may vie for a single female, and several may attempt to mate with her at one time. Males will even wait atop a young female that's still inside her molting skin, eager for her to emerge. In the absence of available females, males have been seen attempting to mate with one another.
