Small Spurwing Mayfly

Centroptilium luteolum

Date First Recorded in the Garden: 01/06/2022

Family Baetidae: Small Minnow Mayflies

Baetidae are a family of Mayflies referred to often as Minnow or Small Minnow Mayflies on account of the members of the family generally being small. Online sources suggest globally around 1000 species within this family alone. We are not entirely sure how many species of this particular family there are in the UK, but overall there are around 50 species of Mayfly in general.

Small Spurwing Mayfly – Centroptilium luteolum

The males have unusual eyes, large discs on turrets, see image below. We have not recorded a female to date. These guys only have tiny hind wings, reduced to such an extent that you need a really good close up image (which we don’t have) to notice them.

In the Garden

A species of streams and lakes and likely arrived in the Garden due to our proximity to some of the wetland habitats associated with the nearby Eastwood Farm Nature Reserve, which includes some running ditches and the river Avon.

We rarely see Mayflies despite the suitable local habitats, this may well be due to the river valley being deep with wooded sides, lowering the likelihood of Mayflies accidentally drifting up to us.

Some Mayfly species will reproduce in still waters, including small ponds and artificial items such as water butts. So another reason to have some fresh water spaces if you have the room.