Tisza mayfly
The Tisza mayfly is the biggest mayfly in Europe, with a very long tail. Once a year, in June, thousands of them hatch from the river at the same time. People call this the blooming of the Tisza, because the river looks full of flowers.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
From the head to the tip of the tail it can be 12 centimetres long.
The babies live in tunnels in the river mud for up to three years before they hatch.
It lives only where the water is very clean, so finding it means the river is healthy.
It flies low over the water, often brushing the surface with its long tail.
The mother flies 1 to 3 kilometres before she lays her eggs in the water.
Most asked questions about Tisza mayfly
?How long does a Tisza mayfly live?
The grown-up lives only a few hours. Before that it spends up to three years as a baby in the river mud.
?What is the blooming of the Tisza?
It is when huge numbers of Tisza mayflies hatch together in June. People come to watch it.
?How big is the Tisza mayfly?
With its long tail it can be about 12 centimetres long. It is the biggest mayfly in Europe.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Palingenia longicauda
- Group
- Other insects
- Family
- Palingeniidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Ephemeroptera > Palingeniidae
- Lives on
- Europe
- Also known as
- Tisa mayfly, Long-tailed mayfly, Giant mayfly
Where the facts come from
- Palingenia longicauda (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Original uploader was Derzsi Elekes Andor at hu.wikipedia. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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