hemer-, hemero-

A reference to organisms that have sporadic and random intervals during the day or night in which food is acquired.

Until the late 1970s, activity patterns of primates were only categorized as diurnal or nocturnal.

1. Insects that live only for a day in their winged form.
2. Somethings that are transitory and without lasting significance; lasting a day.
3. Collectible items that were originally designed to be short-lived: "She's a collector of ticket stubs, movie passes, bus transfers, and other ephemera."
4. A family in the insect order Ephemeroptera, the mayflies.

The type genus, Ephemera, and others are associated with asthma because of the sensitization from inhalation of cast skins and bits of dried materials from the large swarms of these abundant insects.

1. Lasting for only a short period of time and leaving no permanent trace; short-lived; transitory.
2. Living or lasting only for a day, as certain plants or insects do; such as, an organism that grows, reproduces, and dies within a few hours or days; or a flower that lasts for a day or less.
3. Beginning and ending in a day.
4. Etymology: Ephemeral, now used fairly loosely for "transitory", originally meant specifically "lasting only one day". It comes from Greek ephemeros, a compound word formed from the prefix epi-, "on" and hemera, "day".