Trico Mayfly vs Drake Mackerel Mayfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Trico Mayfly Drake Mackerel Mayfly
Scientific Name Tricorythodes stygiatus Ephemera glaucops
Order Ephemeroptera Ephemeroptera
Family Leptohyphidae Ephemeridae
Size 3-6 mm 15-20 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Ponds & Lakes
Diet Detritivores Detritivores
Regions North America Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Trico Mayfly

A tiny mayfly that forms enormous morning spinner falls over calm streams and rivers. Males have distinctive white bodies with black thoraxes.

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Did You Know?

Trico spinner falls create such dense blankets of spent mayflies on the water surface that trout gorge themselves to satiation.

Drake Mackerel Mayfly

A large European burrowing mayfly with distinctive dark markings on its wings. It emerges in synchronous swarms during warm summer evenings.

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Did You Know?

Swarms of this mayfly dancing over European rivers at sunset have inspired poets and naturalists for centuries.