Code QE049999

Large mayflies of stony upland streams. The head of the nymph is flexibly prognathous, appearing hypognathous on death/preservation. The eyes are flattened and fully within the profile of the head. Antenna slightly longer than width of head. Mouthparts predatory. Gills present on abdominal segments one to seven, each consisting of an upper plate-like lamella overlying a tuft of hair-like, sometimes branching filaments. The lamella is oval-shaped, with an entire margin and extensively branched trachiae; the outer margin is distinctly sclerotised with a series of small spines in the apical half and a sclerotised strut running down the middle of the lamella to midlength. The cerci have the inner margins densely fringed, as do both sides of the terminal filament.

There are three described Australian species in a single genus, Mirawarra , widespread from Cairns to Melbourne. Nymphs are nocturnal, apparently burrowing into the substrate by day, and carnivorous. The adult emergence is unusual in that the final ecdysis takes place on the bed of the stream and subimagos emerge directly from the water surface.

References:

Campbell, I.C. (1985) Dietary habits of some Australian siphlonurid and oligoneurid ephemeropteran nymphs. Verhandlungen der Internationalen Vereinigung fr theoretische und angewandte Limnologie 22 : 3250-3259.

Campbell, I.C. (1986) Life histories of some Australian siphlonurid and oligoneurid mayflies (Insecta: Ephemeroptera). Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 37 : 261-288.

Dean, J.C. (1996) Ameletopsidae. pp. 32-33. In: Dean, J.C. and Suter, P.J. Mayfly Nymphs of Australia. A guide to Genera. Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology, Identification Guide No. 7., Albury, NSW.