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Common Two-Wing (Cloeon dipterum), Heesch, Netherlands Here we are at the 2nd night of my moth light trap, another by-catch. A personal highlight as I&#039;ve never seen a mayfly in my life before this day. I believe this to be the female imago of the Cloeon dipterum. Two interesting facts about this species:<br />
<br />
- The only species in Europe is ovoviviparous, which means embryos are fully developed within the eggs still in the female. They hatch immediately after being deposited in the water.<br />
- An interesting case of sexual dimorphism, where the male has an extra set of superposition tube-like eyes that allegedly help in spotting females in the midst of a crowded swarm. Here&#039;s a closeup of the superposition eyes:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cloeon_dipterum#/media/File:Cloeon_dipterum_Turbanaugen.jpg" rel="nofollow">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cloeon_dipterum#/media/File:Cloeon_dipterum_Turbanaugen.jpg</a><br />
<br />
On a live specimen by @Arp:<br />
<figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/60946/cloeon_dipterum_-_male.html" title="Cloeon dipterum - male"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/3043/60946_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=y5K6FwO%2F91znHDojr%2FHvQFlhoik%3D" width="200" height="114" alt="Cloeon dipterum - male Bad image of a male Cloen dipterum for discussion here:<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/22552/cloeon_mayfly_on_my_window.html<br />
<br />
Note: The animal in this image seems to match the diagnosis for Cloeon inscriptum quite nicely. Fauna Europaea handles this as a good species, whereas the Dutch biodiversity platform will have it synonymized with Cloeon dipterum. I&#039;m currently trying to find out what the latest published scrutiny on the matter was ... Baetidae,Cloeon,Cloeon dipterum,Cloeon inscriptum,Ephemeroptera,Geotagged,Netherlands" /></a></figure><br />
<br />
Keys used to come to this ID:<br />
- orange-brown ridge on wings<br />
- position: standing <br />
- Numbers of tails: 2<br />
- Tail type: ringed<br />
- Abdomen: pattern on all segments<br />
<br />
This leads to a single match in this excellent mayfly identification tool:<br />
<a href="https://determineren.nederlandsesoorten.nl/linnaeus_ng/app/views/matrixkey/index.php?epi=107" rel="nofollow">https://determineren.nederlandsesoorten.nl/linnaeus_ng/app/views/matrixkey/index.php?epi=107</a><br />
<br />
<figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/63841/common_two-wing_cloeon_dipterum_-_closeup_heesch_netherlands.html" title="Common Two-Wing (Cloeon dipterum) - closeup, Heesch, Netherlands"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/63841_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=c8HxTFL0PT3iXGWCh%2FpMoMoF9%2FI%3D" width="200" height="152" alt="Common Two-Wing (Cloeon dipterum) - closeup, Heesch, Netherlands Here we are at the 2nd night of my moth light trap, another by-catch. A personal highlight as I&#039;ve never seen a mayfly in my life before this day. I believe this to be the female imago of the Cloeon dipterum. Two interesting facts about this species:<br />
<br />
- The only species in Europe that is ovoviviparous, which means embryos are fully developed within the eggs still in the female. They hatch immediately after being deposited in the water.<br />
- An interesting case of sexual dimorphism, where the male has an extra set of superposition tube-like eyes that allegedly help in spotting females in the midst of a crowded swarm. Here&#039;s a closeup of the superposition eyes:<br />
<br />
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cloeon_dipterum#/media/File:Cloeon_dipterum_Turbanaugen.jpg<br />
<br />
On a live specimen by @Arp:<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/60946/cloeon_dipterum_-_male.html<br />
<br />
Keys used to come to this ID:<br />
- orange-brown ridge on wings<br />
- position: standing <br />
- Numbers of tails: 2<br />
- Tail type: ringed<br />
- Abdomen: pattern on all segments<br />
<br />
This leads to a single match in this excellent mayfly identification tool:<br />
https://determineren.nederlandsesoorten.nl/linnaeus_ng/app/views/matrixkey/index.php?epi=107<br />
<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/63840/common_two-wing_cloeon_dipterum_heesch_netherlands.html Cloeon dipterum,Europe,Heesch,Moth Week 2018,Netherlands,World" /></a></figure> Cloeon dipterum,Europe,Heesch,Netherlands,World Click/tap to enlarge

Common Two-Wing (Cloeon dipterum), Heesch, Netherlands

Here we are at the 2nd night of my moth light trap, another by-catch. A personal highlight as I've never seen a mayfly in my life before this day. I believe this to be the female imago of the Cloeon dipterum. Two interesting facts about this species:

- The only species in Europe is ovoviviparous, which means embryos are fully developed within the eggs still in the female. They hatch immediately after being deposited in the water.
- An interesting case of sexual dimorphism, where the male has an extra set of superposition tube-like eyes that allegedly help in spotting females in the midst of a crowded swarm. Here's a closeup of the superposition eyes:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cloeon_dipterum#/media/File:Cloeon_dipterum_Turbanaugen.jpg

On a live specimen by @Arp:

Cloeon dipterum - male Bad image of a male Cloen dipterum for discussion here:<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/22552/cloeon_mayfly_on_my_window.html<br />
<br />
Note: The animal in this image seems to match the diagnosis for Cloeon inscriptum quite nicely. Fauna Europaea handles this as a good species, whereas the Dutch biodiversity platform will have it synonymized with Cloeon dipterum. I'm currently trying to find out what the latest published scrutiny on the matter was ... Baetidae,Cloeon,Cloeon dipterum,Cloeon inscriptum,Ephemeroptera,Geotagged,Netherlands


Keys used to come to this ID:
- orange-brown ridge on wings
- position: standing
- Numbers of tails: 2
- Tail type: ringed
- Abdomen: pattern on all segments

This leads to a single match in this excellent mayfly identification tool:
https://determineren.nederlandsesoorten.nl/linnaeus_ng/app/views/matrixkey/index.php?epi=107

Common Two-Wing (Cloeon dipterum) - closeup, Heesch, Netherlands Here we are at the 2nd night of my moth light trap, another by-catch. A personal highlight as I've never seen a mayfly in my life before this day. I believe this to be the female imago of the Cloeon dipterum. Two interesting facts about this species:<br />
<br />
- The only species in Europe that is ovoviviparous, which means embryos are fully developed within the eggs still in the female. They hatch immediately after being deposited in the water.<br />
- An interesting case of sexual dimorphism, where the male has an extra set of superposition tube-like eyes that allegedly help in spotting females in the midst of a crowded swarm. Here's a closeup of the superposition eyes:<br />
<br />
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cloeon_dipterum#/media/File:Cloeon_dipterum_Turbanaugen.jpg<br />
<br />
On a live specimen by @Arp:<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/60946/cloeon_dipterum_-_male.html<br />
<br />
Keys used to come to this ID:<br />
- orange-brown ridge on wings<br />
- position: standing <br />
- Numbers of tails: 2<br />
- Tail type: ringed<br />
- Abdomen: pattern on all segments<br />
<br />
This leads to a single match in this excellent mayfly identification tool:<br />
https://determineren.nederlandsesoorten.nl/linnaeus_ng/app/views/matrixkey/index.php?epi=107<br />
<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/63840/common_two-wing_cloeon_dipterum_heesch_netherlands.html Cloeon dipterum,Europe,Heesch,Moth Week 2018,Netherlands,World

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''Cloeon dipterum'' is a species of mayfly with a Holarctic distribution. It is the most common mayfly in ponds in the British Isles and the only ovoviviparous mayfly in Europe. Males differ from females in having turbinate eyes.

Similar species: Mayflies
Species identified by Ferdy Christant
View Ferdy Christant's profile

By Ferdy Christant

All rights reserved
Uploaded Jul 28, 2018. Captured Jul 21, 2018 23:27.
  • NIKON D850
  • f/16.0
  • 1/60s
  • ISO64
  • 105mm