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Water Beetles
A water beetle is a generalized name for any beetle that is adapted to living in water at any point in its life cycle. Most water beetles can only live in fresh water, with a few marine species that live in the intertidal zone or littoral zone. There are approximately 2000 species of true water beetles native to lands throughout the world. Many water beetles carry an air bubble, called the elytra cavity, underneath their abdomens, which provides an air supply, and prevents water from getting into the spiracles. Others have the surface of their exoskeleton modified to form a plastron, or "physical gill", which permits direct gas exchange with the water. Some families of water beetles have fringed hind legs adapted for swimming, but most do not. Most families of water beetles have larvae that are also aquatic; many have aquatic larvae and terrestrial adults. Diet Water beetles can be either herbivores, predators, or scavengers. Herbivorous beetles eat only aquatic vegetation, such ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Noteridae
Noteridae is a family of adephagan water beetles closely related to the Dytiscidae, and formerly classified with them. They are mainly distinguished by the presence of a distinctive "noterid platform" underneath, in the form of a plate between the second and third pair of legs. The family consists of about 230 species in 14 genera, and is found worldwide, more commonly in the tropics. They are sometimes referred to as burrowing water beetles. These beetles are relatively small, ranging from 1 to 6 mm, with smooth oval bodies ranging from light brown to a darker reddish brown. The head is short and somewhat covered by the prothorax. Both adults and larvae are aquatic, and are commonly found around plants. They have a habit of burrowing through pond and marsh substrate, thus the common name, and are primarily carnivorous, with some scavenging observed. Genera Noteridae contains the following genera: * '' Canthydrus'' Sharp, 1882 * '' Hydrocanthus'' Say, 1823 * '' Mesonoteru ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ptilodactylidae
Ptilodactylidae is a family of beetles belonging to the Elateriformia. There around 500 extant species in 35 genera. They are generally associated with riparian and aquatic habitats. The larvae generally live associated with rotting wood or vegetation, or within gravel and detritus on the edge of water bodies. The larvae of some species feed on submerged rotting wood or on plant roots, while the adults of some species are known to feed on fungus with modified brush-like maxillae.Lawrence, John F.. "Ptilodactylidae Laporte, 1836: Coleoptera, Beetles". ''Handbook of Zoology Online'', edited by Andreas Schmidt-Rhaesa. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2016. Genera Subfamily Anchytarsinae Champion, 1897 * ''Anchycteis'' Horn, 1880 * ''Anchytarsus'' Guérin-Méneville, 1843 * '' Byrrocryptus'' Broun, 1893 * '' Epilichas'' White, 1859 * '' Pseudoepilichas'' Armstrong & Nakane, 1956 *†'' Electrolichas'' Alekseev & Jäch 2016 Baltic amber, Eocene Subfamily Cladotominae Pic, 1914 * '' Austro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Psephenidae
Water-penny beetles are a family (the Psephenidae) of 272 species (in 35 genera) of aquatic beetles found on all continents except Antarctica, in both tropical and temperate areas. The young, which live in water, resemble tiny pennies. The larvae feed – usually nocturnally – on algae on rock surfaces. The presence of water-penny larvae in a stream can be used as a test for the quality of the water, as they are pollution-sensitive. They cannot live in habitats where rocks acquire a thick layer of algae, fungi, or inorganic sediment. Therefore, their presence along with other diverse phyla signifies good-quality water. They are around 6 to 10 millimeters in length. A water-penny larva's shell is oval-shaped to almost circular and is commonly a copper color, which explains the name, 'water-penny'. Water-pennies obtain oxygen through their membrane and through feathery gills located at the base of the abdomen. They are typically found in riffles in streams with a moderate to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Limnichidae
Limnichidae, commonly called minute marsh-loving beetles, is a family of beetles belonging to Byrrhoidea. There are at least 30 genera and 350 described species in Limnichidae. They are found worldwide, with the greatest diversity in tropical regions. Most species seem to be associated with water-adjacent habitats, such as riparian and coastal locations, though many species are likely fully terrestrial, with some species being associated with leaf litter and arboreal habitats. Species with known diets feed on moss or algae. The oldest fossils of the family are known from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. The ... from Myanmar. Genera References Further reading * * * * * * * * * * * Byrrhoidea Beetle families {{Ela ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heteroceridae
Heteroceridae, the variegated mud-loving beetles, are a widespread and relatively common family of beetles found on every continent except for Antarctica. Around two hundred and fifty species of heterocerids are known to occur worldwide. They are most diverse in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Currently, 87 species are known from the New World, including 34 from the United States. Variegated mud-loving beetles are brownish, dorsoventrally depressed shoreline inhabitants. Superficially they resemble small Scarabaeidae, scarabs with the tibiae armed with rows of robust flattened spines. The beetles live in shallow tunnels that they dig in damp soil around fresh and brackish lakes, rivers and ponds. Heterocerids have been reported to live in intertidal sandflats and on remote oceanic islands. The uniform way in which they live seems to have favored the conservation of a "phenotypical uniformity in external morphology". Consequently, it is often quite difficult to identify one o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eulichadidae
Eulichadidae is a family of beetles belonging to Elateriformia. There are two extant genera, '' Eulichas'' with several dozen species native to the Indomalayan realm of Asia, and ''Stenocolus,'' with a single species native to Western North America. The larvae are aquatic, with the larvae of ''Eulichas'' being found in sandy sediments of clean forest streams, while the larvae of ''Stenocolus'' are found under rocks and in leaf packs in low elevation streams and rivers. They are herbivious/saprophagous with larval specimens of ''Eulichas'' having been found with wood particles in their stomachs, while the larvae of ''Stenocolus'' are known to feed on decaying roots and detritus. The adults are terrestrial, with specimens of ''Eulichas'' typically found using light, while specimens of ''Stenocolus'' are typically found in riparian vegetation, and are not attracted to light. Potential extinct genera have been described from Mesozoic rocks, but the placement of several of these taxa in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elmidae
Elmidae, commonly known as riffle beetles, is a family (biology), family of beetles in the superfamily Byrrhoidea described by John Curtis (entomologist), John Curtis in 1830. Both adults and larvae are usually aquatic, living under rocks in fast-flowing shallow areas of streams, such as Riffle, riffles, feeding on algae and biofilms. There are more than 150 genera and 1,500 described species in Elmidae. The oldest record of the group is ''Cretohypsilara'' from the Cenomanian aged Burmese amber. See also * List of Elmidae genera References Further reading * * * * * External links * Elmidae, Polyphaga families {{Elmidae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dryopidae
Dryopidae is a family of beetles, commonly named long-toed water beetles, in the superfamily Byrrhoidea. It was described by Gustaf Johan Billberg in 1820. Description Long-toed water beetles are named for their extended claws. Adults have dense hairs, which allow the beetles to breathe while underwater. The flight muscles of the females weaken as they age. When the pupae complete the imago stage of their life cycle, they move towards running water, and may be attracted to lights. Despite being referred to as aquatic insects, the beetles are unable to swim, clinging to detritus that float. All long-toed water beetles feed on plants that are in the water, but the larvae generally are terrestrial, and at least some also feed on plant matter. '' Stygoparnus'' is the only genus in the family in which both the larvae and adults are aquatic. Genera of the family closely resemble riffle beetles, but the antennae are different from the long-toed water beetles, looking similar to clu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lutrochidae
Lutrochidae is a family of water beetles with a single genus ''Lutrochus'' sometimes known as "travertine beetles". There are around 21 species native to the Americas from the southern United States to Brazil. They are distinguished by their ovate bodies, 2–6 mm long and yellowish in color, and short antennae in which the first two antennomeres are longer than the others. The larvae are elongate, 4–10 mm in length, with short but well-developed legs. William D. Shepard, "Lutrochidae", in Ross H. Arnett, Jr. and Michael C. Thomas, ''American Beetles ''American Beetles'' is the single most comprehensive description of the beetles of North America north of the tropical area of Mexico. It was started by Ross H. Arnett, Jr. as an update of his classic ''The Beetles of the United States''; along ...'' (CRC Press, 2002), vol. 2 The adults have a bubble of air held in place by hairs.Ide, Sergio, Costa, Cleide and Vanin, Sergio Antonio. "Lutrochidae Kasap & Crowson, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hydrophilidae
Hydrophilidae, also known colloquially as water scavenger beetles, is a family of beetles. Aquatic hydrophilids are notable for their long maxillary palps, which are longer than their antennae. Several of the former subfamilies of Hydrophilidae have recently been removed and elevated to family rank; Epimetopidae, Georissidae (= Georyssinae), Helophoridae, Hydrochidae, and Spercheidae (= Sphaeridiinae). While the majority of hydrophilids are aquatic, around a third of described species are terrestrial, mostly belonging to the subfamily Sphaeridiinae. With rare exceptions, the larvae are predatory while the adults may be herbivores or predators in addition to scavenging. Many species are able to produce sounds. Species of '' Hydrophilus'' are reported as pests in fish hatcheries. Other species are voracious consumers of mosquito larvae, and have potential as biological control agents. This beetle family contains 2,835 species in 169 genera. Geography Hydrophilid beetles ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hydroscaphidae
The Hydroscaphidae are a small family of water beetles known commonly as skiff beetles. As of 2010, there are 23 species in the family. Several are recently described. These beetles are small, most under in length. They are tan to brown in color and the elytra are abbreviated, leaving several tapering tergites of the abdomen exposed. The wings are fringed with long setae. The larvae are fusiform, with a wide thorax and a narrowing abdomen. Hydroscaphidae live on mats of algae with a thin layer of running water. This may be the accumulated algae lining the very edge of a stream of water. They tolerate a wide range of temperatures; they have been observed in hot springs and in icy snowmelt. The algae are their food source. The reproductive cycle is not well known. In at least one species, the female lays a single large egg on the algal mat. Hydroscaphid species have been reported from every continent except Antarctica. Genera: * ''Hydroscapha'' LeConte, 1874 * '' Scaphydra'' R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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