The Mayflies, Or Ephemeroptera, of Illinois
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STATE OF ILLINOIS WILLIAM G. STRATTON, Governor DEPARTMENT OF REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION VERA M. BINKS, Director NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY DIVISION HARLOW B. MILLS, Chief Volume 26 BULLETIN Article 1 The Mayflies, or Ephemeroptera, of Illinois B. D. BURKS Printed by Authority of the State of Illinois URBANA, ILLINOIS May 1953 STATE OF ILLINOIS WILLIAM G. STRATTON, Governor DEPARTMENT OF REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION VERA M. BINKS, Director BOARD OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION VERA M. BINKS, Chairman A. E. EMERSON, Ph.D., Biology WALTER H. NEWHOUSE, Ph.D., Geology L. H. TIFFANY, Ph.D., Forestry ROBERT H. ANDERSON, B.S.C.E., ROGER ADAMS, Ph.D., D.Sc., Chemistry Engineering GEORGE D. STODDARD, Ph.D., Litt.D., L.H.D., LL.D., President of the University of Illinois DELYTE W. MORRIS, Ph.D., President of Southern Illinois University NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY DIVISION Urbana, Illinois SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL STAFF HARLOW B. MILLS, Ph.D., Chief BESSIE B. EAST, M.S., Assistant to the Chief Section of Economic Entomology Section of Applied Botany and Plant Pathology GEORGE C. DECKER, Ph.D., Entomologist and Head LEO R. TEHON, Ph.D., Botanist and Head J. H. BIGGER, M.S., Entomologist J. CEDRIC CARTER, Ph.D., Plant Pathologist L. L. ENGLISH, Ph.D., Entomologist J. L. FORSBERG, M.S., Associate Plant Pathologist S. C. CHANDLER, B.S., Associate Entomologist PAUL F. HOFFMAN, JR., Ph.D., Associate Plant WILLIS N. BRUCE, Ph.D., Associate Entomologist Pathologist NORMAN C. GANNON, Ph.D., Associate Entomologist G. H. BOEWE, M.S., Assistant Plant Pathologist JOHN M. WRIGHT, Ph.D., Assistant Entomologist RICHARD J. CAMPANA, Ph.D., Assistant Plant W. H. LUCICMANN, M.S., Assistant Entomologist Pathologist H. B. PETTY, M.A., Extension Specialist in E. B. HIMELICK, M.S., Assistant Plant Pathologist Entomology B. M. ZUCKERMAN, M.S., Assistant Plant Pathologist PAUL SURANYI, Ph.D., Assistant Entomologist ROBERT A. EVERS, Ph.D., Assistant Botanist MASSOUD VARZANDEH, Ph.D., Research Assistant E. A. Cum., MS., Special Research Assistant MILTON E. TINKER, MA., Field Assistant ROVENIA F. FITZ-GERALD, B.A., Technical Assistant SUE E. WATKINS, Technical Assistant Section of Aquatic Biology GEORGE W. BENNETT, Ph.D., Aquatic Biologist and Section of Faunistic Surveys and Insect Head Identification WILLIAM C. STARRETT, Ph.D., Associate Aquatic Biologist H. H. Ross, Ph.D., Systematic Entomologist and DONALD F. HANSEN, Ph.D., Assistant Aquatic Head Biologist MILTON W. SANDERSON, Ph.D., Associate Taxonomist R. W. LARIMORE, Ph.D., Assistant Aquatic Biologist LEWIS J. STANNARD, JR., Ph.D., Assistant Taxonomist ROBERT D. CROMPTON, Field Assistant LEONORA K. GLOYD, M.S., Laboratory Assistant LEONARD DURHAM, M.S., Technical Assistant* PHILIP W. SMITH, Ph.D., Assistant Taxonomist P. L. McNEu., B.S., Technical Assistant* GRACE H. HULL, B.A., Technical Assistant Section of Game Research and Management T. G. SCOTT, Ph.D., Game Specialist and Head Section of Forestry RALPH E. YEATTER, Ph.D., Game Specialist WILLET N. WANDELL, M.F., Forester and Head F. C. BELLROSE, B.S., Associate Game Specialist LAwsoN B. CULVER, B.S., Associate in Forestry Ex- H. C. HANsoN, M.S., Assistant Game Specialist tension J. S. JORDAN, Ph.D., Assistant Game Technician Ross J. MILLER, M.S., Field Ecologist EDWARD J. LARIMER, B.S., Technical Assistant JACK M. RIDNER, B.S., Field Assistant WILLIAM NUESS, Field Assistant CHARLOTTE ASCHBACHER, B.A., Technical Assistant LYSLE R. PIETSCH, M.F., Project Leaderf Section of Publications and Public Relations Technical Library JAMES S. AYARS, B.S., Technical Editor and Head RUTH WARRICK, B.S.L.S., Technical Librarian BLANCHE P. YOUNG, B.A., Assistant Technical Editor JEAN A. STOCKDALE, B.S.L.S., Assistant Technical WILLIAM E. CLARK, Assistant Technical Photographer Librarian JAMES W. CURFMAN, B.S., Technical Assistant CONSULTANT IN HERPETOLOGY: HOBART M. SMITH, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Zoology, University of Illinois. CONSULTANT IN PARASITOLOGY: NORMAN D. LEVINE, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Veterinary Parasitology and of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois. *Employed by the Illinois Department of Conservation and assigned to the Natural History Survey for ad- ministrative and technical supervision. fEmployed by the Illinois Department of Conservation under terms of the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act and assigned to the Natural History Survey for administrative and technical supervision. This paper is a contribution from the Section of Faunistic Surreys and Insect Identification. (58256-3M-10-52) 2 FOREWORD LMOST a century ago, Benjamin D. to be the accepted pattern. The morphology A Walsh, the first State Entomologist of of mayflies is reminiscent of the morphology Illinois, became interested in the mayflies or of insects which disappeared many millions of shadflies of the area about his home in Rock years ago and which are now known only Island. Since his first observations and writ- through fossil remains. The adult stage has ings concerning these insects, a great deal has become a mere vestige, lasting usually but a happened to the Illinois environment, and very few days at the most. The life span is great advances have been made in our knowl- consumed almost entirely by the developmental edge of this interesting part of our native stages under water. All of the eating is done fauna. The following treatise by Dr. B. D. during this growth period; the adults have Burks, formerly of the Natural History Sur- useless mouthparts and digestive systems. Of vey, brings our knowledge of this group up all of the winged insects, mayflies are the to date. only ones which shed their skins after they Mayflies are of importance to people in have developed wings with which they can many ways. One of the most obvious is the fly. And a few species reproduce their kind swarming and massing of some species in without ever attaining the true adult stage! such strategic places as river bridges, where Thus, we find that mayflies are important at times the bodies of countless millions form not alone to harassed highway maintenance barriers or hazards to traffic. But these men and press photographers. They are dramatic occurrences are far from the most much more so to those entrusted with the important aspects of the lives of mayflies. well-being of our fish populations, those in- As a part of the biological complex of our terested in the public health and other values waters, for all mayflies are aquatic in their in inland waters, and those interested in the developmental stages, these insects find their peculiarities of nature. most important place in human economy and Dr. Burks, who prepared the following interest. They are an important link in con- treatise, obtained the B.A. degree in 1933, verting microscopic food organisms and veg- the M.A. in 1934, and the Ph.D. in 1937, etable detritus into units. large enough and of all from the University of Illinois. On July proper character to be of value to our pred- 1, 1937, he joined the staff of the Natural atory fishes. This fact has been employed History Survey. But for short leaves during by fly tiers in the design of certain artificial which he assisted at the United States National lures intended to be attractive to certain fishes. Museum, and leave for military service, he Furthermore, mayflies may be characteristic remained in the employ of this Survey until of certain types of waters. Dr. Burks has May 21, 1949. At that time, he resigned to listed a dozen different habitats, with species take a position in the Division of Insect Iden- typical of each. This association of insect tification with the United States Department with habitat is of importance to all workers of Agriculture in Washington, D. C. interested in our fresh waters, as the mayfly A number of people have been of assistance species which are present in a given body of in the preparation of this manuscript. We water may indicate the condition of that are especially indebted to Dr. Carl 0. Mohr water and therefore its usefulness for domes- for his excellent illustrations, to Mrs. Eliza- tic or industrial purposes. When Walsh beth Maxwell for the preparation of many of studied the mayfly populations in the Rock the line drawings, and to Mrs. Leonora K. Island area, he found a considerably different Gloyd for her careful and painstaking work in species complex from that existing in the area the later stages of preparation of the manu- now. In spite of much careful collecting in script for publication. the Rock Island vicinity, Dr. Burks could re- For permission to use figs. 88, 188-192, 218, cover only 8 of the 31 species which Walsh and 300, most of them redrawn without ap- recorded from there. This recovery repre- preciable change from Traver in The Biology sents only about 26 per cent of the mayfly of Mayflies, we are indebted to the Comstock fauna present before the damming, dredging, Publishing Company. For loan of critical siltation, and addition of pollutants which material for study, we are grateful to Dr. characterize these waters now. It was neces- Henry Dietrich of Cornell University, Dr. sary to extend the search into less modified Joseph C. Bequaert of the Museum of Com- waters in order to rediscover some of the parative Zoology, Harvard University, Dr. other species with which Walsh was familiar. C. E. Mickel of the University of Minnesota, And then there is the peculiarness, the and Mr. W. J. Brown and Mr. G. P. Holland uniqueness, of this archaic group of insects, of the Canadian National Museum. of interest to all who