⇐ Mayflies (Palingenia longicauda)
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  • The aquatic larvae of the long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are living in the clay of the river bed of the Tisza River. Their foremost pair of limbs has developed into broadened extremeties which are used for shoveling and digging, homologuous to the "hands" of a mole or a mole cricket. At an age of three years this larva of the mayfly is almost ready to emerge from the water and it already shows the developing wings. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • The aquatic larvae of the long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are living in the clay of the river bed of the Tisza River. At an age of three years and a size of about ten centimetres this larva of the mayfly is almost ready to emerge from the water and it already shows the developing wings. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • Immediately after landing in the vegetation of the river bank the male long-tailed mayfly (Palingenia longicauda) starts to undergoes its last moult. The old skin opens at the back of the animal and will be left behind on the leaf looking like a pale ghost of the fly. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • About a minute after landing in the vegetation of the river bank the male long-tailed mayfly (Palingenia longicauda) starts to undergoes its last moult. The old skin opens at the back of the animal and will be left behind on the leaf looking like a pale ghost of the fly. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • Immediately after hatching from their aquatic larval skin the subadult male long-tailed mayfly (Palingenia longicauda) flies towards the river bank to land on a leaf. Here it will undergo its last moult, before it is going to mate and dy, all within only a few hours. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • About half an hour after the male long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) hatched the first females appear on the water sruface. Unlike the males the female long-tailed mayflies are already mature when they emerge. Every female, like the one in the foreground recognisable by its shorter tails, is approached by several mature males. Eventually the female mates with one of them on the water surface. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • About half an hour after the male long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) hatched the first females appear on the water sruface. Unlike the males the female long-tailed mayflies are already mature when they emerge. Every female, like the one in the foreground recognisable by its shorter tails, is approached by several mature males. Eventually the female mates with one of them on the water surface. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • The first mature male long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are flying over the Tisza River searching for the females that are about to hatch half an hour later than the males. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • The remarkable phenomenon of Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás) comences when the first male long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) hatches out of its aquatic larva skin and rises from the water surface up into the air.<br /> Millions of males and females are going to follow, mate, form huge clouds, lay eggs, and perish, within the next few hours. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • Hungarian born scientist Prof. Dr. Dr.h.c. Thomas Tittizer from the University of Bonn, Germany, is working on the long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda). In his current project he tries to reintroduce this species, which is the largest mayfly in Europe, into the German rivers Oder and Lippe, where they have gone extinct about 100 years ago. For this he catches female long-tailed mayflies after mating to take the fertilized eggs back to his laboratory in Germany. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • In an attempt to mate several male long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) congregate about a hatching individual, which turns out to be a male, too. As soon as they realise their mistake the males take off for another try. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • Shortly after the first one of them hatched from the water surface more and more subadult male long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) reach the nearby vegetation and moult into mature animals. They leave their old skins attached to the leafs looking like pale ghosts of the mayflies. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • Hungarian born scientist Prof. Dr. Dr.h.c. Thomas Tittizer from the University of Bonn, Germany, is working on the long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda). In his current project he tries to reintroduce this species, which is the largest mayfly in Europe, into the German rivers Oder and Lippe, where they have gone extinct about 100 years ago. For this he catches female long-tailed mayflies after mating to take the fertilized eggs back to his laboratory in Germany.
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  • Hungarian born scientist Prof. Dr. Dr.h.c. Thomas Tittizer from the University of Bonn, Germany, is working on the long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda). In his current project he tries to reintroduce this species, which is the largest mayfly in Europe, into the German rivers Oder and Lippe, where they have gone extinct about 100 years ago. For this he catches female long-tailed mayflies after mating to take the fertilized eggs back to his laboratory in Germany.
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  • About two minutes after landing in the vegetation of the river bank the male long-tailed mayfly (Palingenia longicauda) concludes its last moult. By starting to fly hard towards the river the animal pulls its long caudal tails out of the old skin which will be left behind on the leaf looking like a pale ghost of the fly. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • About two minutes after landing in the vegetation of the river bank the male long-tailed mayfly (Palingenia longicauda) concludes its last moult. By starting to fly hard towards the river the animal pulls its long caudal tails out of the old skin which will be left behind on the leaf looking like a pale ghost of the fly. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • Immediately after hatching from their aquatic larval skin the subadult male long-tailed mayfly (Palingenia longicauda) flies towards the river bank to land on a leaf. Here it will undergo its last moult, before it is going to mate and dy, all within only a few hours. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • Immediately after hatching from their aquatic larval skin the subadult male long-tailed mayfly (Palingenia longicauda) flies towards the river bank to land on a leaf. Here it will undergo its last moult, before it is going to mate and dy, all within only a few hours. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • Photographer Solvin Zankl on Tisza river. | Fotograf Solvin Zankl unterwegs auf dem Fluß Theiß in Ungarn
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  • Immediately after hatching from their aquatic larval skin the subadult male long-tailed mayfly (Palingenia longicauda) flies towards the river bank to land on a leaf. Here it will undergo its last moult, before it is going to mate and dy, all within only a few hours. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • Birds take their profit from the huge numbers of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) that rise from the river surface during the Tisza blooming. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
    add to lightbox
  • The first mature male long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are flying over the Tisza River searching for the females that are about to hatch half an hour later than the males. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
    add to lightbox
  • The first mature male long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are flying over the Tisza River searching for the females that are about to hatch half an hour later than the males. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
    add to lightbox
  • The first mature male long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are flying over the Tisza River searching for the females that are about to hatch half an hour later than the males. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • Immediately after hatching from their aquatic larval skin the subadult male long-tailed mayfly (Palingenia longicauda) flies towards the river bank to land on a leaf. Here it will undergo its last moult, before it is going to mate and dy, all within only a few hours. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
    add to lightbox
  • The first mature male long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are flying over the Tisza River searching for the females that are about to hatch half an hour later than the males. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
    add to lightbox
  • Just three hours after they hatched from the water and moulted into a mature animal, the male long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) perish. During theit aquatic larval stages they gathered enough energy to power this short airborne life with the single aim of reproduction. Flying long-tailed mayflies have no mouth opening and no guts. The dead animals slowly float downstream, sometimes congregating into flower-like clusters. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • Just three hours after they hatched from the water and moulted into a mature animal, the male long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) perish. During theit aquatic larval stages they gathered enough energy to power this short airborne life with the single aim of reproduction. Flying long-tailed mayflies have no mouth opening and no guts. The dead animals slowly float downstream, sometimes congregating into flower-like clusters. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • Right after mating the female long-tailed mayflies (Palingeni a longicauda) rise up in the air where they form huge clouds and are out of interest for the males still searching for mates close to the water surface. The females start a compensation flight approx. 5 km upstream before they dip down to the water surface to release their eggs. The drift of the slowly sinking eggs brings them back to the same section of the river bed where their parents lived their larval lifes. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • Right after mating the female long-tailed mayflies (Palingeni a longicauda) rise up in the air where they form huge clouds and are out of interest for the males still searching for mates close to the water surface. The females start a compensation flight approx. 5 km upstream before they dip down to the water surface to release their eggs. The drift of the slowly sinking eggs brings them back to the same section of the river bed where their parents lived their larval lifes. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • Right after mating the female long-tailed mayflies (Palingeni a longicauda) rise up in the air where they form huge clouds and are out of interest for the males still searching for mates close to the water surface. The females start a compensation flight approx. 5 km upstream before they dip down to the water surface to release their eggs. The drift of the slowly sinking eggs brings them back to the same section of the river bed where their parents lived their larval lifes. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • Right after mating the female long-tailed mayflies (Palingeni a longicauda) rise up in the air where they form huge clouds and are out of interest for the males still searching for mates close to the water surface. The females start a compensation flight approx. 5 km upstream before they dip down to the water surface to release their eggs. The drift of the slowly sinking eggs brings them back to the same section of the muddy river bed where their parents lived their larval lifes. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • About half an hour after the male long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) hatched the first females appear on the water surface. Unlike the males the female long-tailed mayflies are already mature when they emerge. Every female is approached by several mature males. Eventually the female mates with one of them on the water surface. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
    add to lightbox
  • The aquatic larvae of the long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are living in the clay of the river bed of the Tisza River. Their foremost pair of limbs has developed into broadened extremeties which are used for shoveling and digging, homologuous to the &quot;hands&quot; of a mole or a mole cricket. At an age of two years this larva of the mayfly is four centimeteres in length.Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
    add to lightbox
  • The aquatic larvae of the long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are living in the clay of the river bed of the Tisza River. Their foremost pair of limbs has developed into broadened extremeties which are used for shoveling and digging, homologuous to the &quot;hands&quot; of a mole and a mole cricket. At an age of about one year this larva of the mayfly is two centimetres in length. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • About half an hour after the male long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) hatched the first females appear on the water surface. Unlike the males the female long-tailed mayflies are already mature when they emerge. Every female is approached by several mature males. Eventually the female mates with one of them on the water surface. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • About half an hour after the male long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) hatched the first females appear on the water surface. Unlike the males the female long-tailed mayflies are already mature when they emerge. Every female is approached by several mature males. Eventually the female mates with one of them on the water surface. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • About half an hour after the male long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) hatched the first females appear on the water surface. Unlike the males the female long-tailed mayflies are already mature when they emerge. Every female is approached by several mature males. Eventually the female mates with one of them on the water surface. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
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  • About half an hour after the male long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) hatched the first females appear on the water surface. Unlike the males the female long-tailed mayflies are already mature when they emerge. Every female is approached by several mature males. Eventually the female mates with one of them on the water surface. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
    add to lightbox
  • Right after mating the female long-tailed mayflies (Palingeni a longicauda) rise up in the air where they form huge clouds and are out of interest for the males still searching for mates close to the water surface. The females start a compensation flight approx. 5 km upstream before they dip down to the water surface to release their eggs. The drift of the slowly sinking eggs brings them back to the same section of the river bed where their parents lived their larval lifes. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
    add to lightbox
  • Right after mating the female long-tailed mayflies (Palingeni a longicauda) rise up in the air where they form huge clouds and are out of interest for the males still searching for mates close to the water surface. The females start a compensation flight approx. 5 km upstream before they dip down to the water surface to release their eggs. The drift of the slowly sinking eggs brings them back to the same section of the river bed where their parents lived their larval lifes. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
    add to lightbox
  • Shortly after the first one of them hatched from the water surface more and more subadult male long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) reach the nearby vegetation and moult into mature animals. They leave their old skins attached to the leafs looking like pale ghosts of the mayflies. Tisza blooming (Tiszavirágzás). It is when millions of long-tailed mayflies (Palingenia longicauda) are rising in huge clouds, reproduce, and perish, all in just a few hours.
    add to lightbox