Section 2: Lakefly Invertebrate Identification
Estimated Time For Lesson: 3 minutes
ID Notes
Olive mayflies are agile swimmers.
Olives swim with a rapid, darting motion by flicking their bodies up and down in an ‘S’ shape. This movement is quick and jerky, allowing them to dart away from predators or move between stones and plants in flowing water.
They have 3 pairs of visible legs and 3 long, slender tails
Tails, when intact, are roughly symmetrical
The have small leaf-like gills on the side of their bodies
Body tapers and is torpedo-like
They have medium sized antennae
Tails can be broken off partially or entirely, so check carefully how many there are.
They can be found in running and still waters on stones, gravel and plants.
They feed on algae and detritus.
Photo Credit: Dr Cyril Bennett MBE
Photo Credit: Gino Brignoli