Arctic Mayfly vs Brown Drake Mayfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Arctic Mayfly Brown Drake Mayfly
Scientific Name Baetis bundyae Ephemera simulans
Order Ephemeroptera Ephemeroptera
Family Baetidae Ephemeridae
Size 5-8 mm 14-20 mm
Habitat Tundra & Arctic Rivers & Streams
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Arctic Canada, Alaska, northern Scandinavia North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Arctic Mayfly

A small, delicate mayfly with transparent wings and two long tail filaments. Nymphs are agile swimmers in cold Arctic streams. Adults emerge for a very brief mating flight during the short Arctic summer.

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Did You Know?

Adult mayflies live only a few hours to a few days, just long enough to mate and lay eggs before dying.

Brown Drake Mayfly

A large brownish mayfly with mottled wings that produces dramatic evening hatches on trout streams. Nymphs burrow in sandy and silty streambeds.

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Did You Know?

Brown drake hatches occur over just a few days each year, creating some of the most spectacular dry-fly fishing of the season.