The Hydroscaphidae are a small
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
of
water beetle
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 (ocean), marine species that live in the intertidal zone or l ...
s 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
An elytron (; ; , ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometimes alterna ...
are abbreviated, leaving several tapering
tergite
A ''tergum'' (Latin for "the back"; plural ''terga'', associated adjective tergal) is the dorsal ('upper') portion of an arthropod segment other than the head. The anterior edge is called the 'base' and posterior edge is called the 'apex' or 'mar ...
s of the abdomen exposed. The wings are fringed with long
seta
In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms.
Animal setae
Protostomes
Annelid setae are stiff bristles present on the body. Th ...
e. The
larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
The ...
e are fusiform, with a wide thorax and a narrowing abdomen.
[
Hydroscaphidae live on mats of ]algae
Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...
with a thin layer of running water. This may be the accumulated algae lining the very edge of a stream of water.hot spring
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...
s and in icy snowmelt
In hydrology, snowmelt is surface runoff produced from melting snow. It can also be used to describe the period or season during which such runoff is produced. Water produced by snowmelt is an important part of the annual water cycle in many part ...
. 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
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
.
Genera:Hydroscapha
''Hydroscapha'' is a genus of beetles endemic to Europe and the United States. It contains these species: '' LeConte, 1874
* '' Scaphydra'' Reichardt, 1973
* ''Yara Yara may refer to:
People
* YARA (girl group), a Filipino girl group
* Yara (given name)
* Yara (surname), a Japanese surname
* Yara (singer) (born 1983), Lebanese pop singer
* Yara (footballer) (born 1964), Brazilian footballer
Locations
* Y ...
'' Reichardt & Hinton, 1976
*'' Confossa'' Short, Joly, García & Maddison, 2015
References
Further reading
*
External links
Hydroscaphidae.
Tree of Life.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q135123
Myxophaga
Beetle families