''Megadytes'' is a genus of
diving beetle
The Dytiscidae – based on the Greek ''dytikos'' (δυτικός), "able to dive" – are the predaceous diving beetles, a Family (biology), family of water beetles. They occur in virtually any freshwater habitat around the world, but a ...
s in the family
Dytiscidae
The Dytiscidae – based on the Greek ''dytikos'' (δυτικός), "able to dive" – are the predaceous diving beetles, a family of water beetles. They occur in virtually any freshwater habitat around the world, but a few species live a ...
. They are found in slow-moving or static freshwater habitats throughout most of the
Neotropics
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropics, tropical Ecoregion#Terrestrial, terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperat ...
, ranging from
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
and Mexico, through the West Indies and Central America, to South America as far south as central Argentina.
The adult beetles measure long depending on the exact species and the largest is also the largest in the family (together with certain ''
Dytiscus'').
Species
''Megadytes'' contains the following 21 species in 4 subgenera:
Subgenus ''Bifurcitus'':
* †''Megadytes ducalis
''Megadytes ducalis'' is a species of water beetle in the family Dytiscidae. With a length of , it is the largest species in the family. Until recently, the species was only known from a single specimen that was collected in the 1800s from Brazil ...
'' Sharp, 1882
* '' Megadytes lherminieri'' (Guérin-Méneville, 1829)
* '' Megadytes magnus'' Trémouilles & Bachmann, 1980
Subgenus ''Megadytes'':
* '' Megadytes carcharias'' Griffini, 1895
* '' Megadytes ecuadorius'' Zimmermann, 1919
* '' Megadytes flohri'' Sharp, 1882
* '' Megadytes fraternus'' Sharp, 1882
* ''Megadytes guayanensis
''Megadytes'' is a genus of diving beetles in the family Dytiscidae. They are found in slow-moving or static freshwater habitats throughout most of the Neotropics, ranging from Florida and Mexico, through the West Indies and Central America, to S ...
'' (Wilke, 1920)
* ''Megadytes guignoti
''Megadytes'' is a genus of diving beetles in the family Dytiscidae. They are found in slow-moving or static freshwater habitats throughout most of the Neotropics, ranging from Florida and Mexico, through the West Indies and Central America, to S ...
'' Mouchamps, 1957
* ''Megadytes laevigatus
''Megadytes'' is a genus of diving beetles in the family Dytiscidae. They are found in slow-moving or static freshwater habitats throughout most of the Neotropics, ranging from Florida and Mexico, through the West Indies and Central America, to S ...
'' (Olivier, 1795)
* ''Megadytes latus
''Megadytes'' is a genus of diving beetles in the family Dytiscidae. They are found in slow-moving or static freshwater habitats throughout most of the Neotropics, ranging from Florida and Mexico, through the West Indies and Central America, to S ...
'' (Fabricius, 1801)
* ''Megadytes marginithorax
''Megadytes'' is a genus of diving beetles in the family Dytiscidae. They are found in slow-moving or static freshwater habitats throughout most of the Neotropics, ranging from Florida and Mexico, through the West Indies and Central America, to S ...
'' (Perty, 1830)
* ''Megadytes steinheili
''Megadytes'' is a genus of diving beetles in the family Dytiscidae. They are found in slow-moving or static freshwater habitats throughout most of the Neotropics, ranging from Florida and Mexico, through the West Indies and Central America, to S ...
'' (Wehncke, 1876)
Subgenus ''Paramegadytes'':
* ''Megadytes australis
''Megadytes'' is a genus of diving beetles in the family Dytiscidae. They are found in slow-moving or static freshwater habitats throughout most of the Neotropics, ranging from Florida and Mexico, through the West Indies and Central America, to S ...
'' (Germain, 1854)
* ''Megadytes glaucus
''Megadytes glaucus'' is a species of beetles of the family Dytiscidae.
Description
''Megadytes glaucus'' can reach a length of about . The basic color of the body is dark shiny. These beetles have oval, flattened streamlined bodies adapted fo ...
'' (Brullé, 1837)
Subgenus ''Trifurcitus'':
* ''Megadytes aubei
''Megadytes'' is a genus of diving beetles in the family Dytiscidae. They are found in slow-moving or static freshwater habitats throughout most of the Neotropics, ranging from Florida and Mexico, through the West Indies and Central America, to S ...
'' (Wilke, 1920)
** ''Megadytes aubei meridionalis'' Mouchamps, 1957
* ''Megadytes fallax
''Megadytes'' is a genus of diving beetles in the family Dytiscidae. They are found in slow-moving or static freshwater habitats throughout most of the Neotropics, ranging from Florida and Mexico, through the West Indies and Central America, to S ...
'' (Aubé, 1838)
* ''Megadytes gravidus
''Megadytes'' is a genus of diving beetles in the family Dytiscidae. They are found in slow-moving or static freshwater habitats throughout most of the Neotropics, ranging from Florida and Mexico, through the West Indies and Central America, to S ...
'' Sharp, 1882
* ''Megadytes obesus
''Megadytes'' is a genus of diving beetles in the family Dytiscidae. They are found in slow-moving or static freshwater habitats throughout most of the Neotropics, ranging from Florida and Mexico, through the West Indies and Central America, to S ...
'' Sharp, 1882
* ''Megadytes perplexus
''Megadytes'' is a genus of diving beetles in the family Dytiscidae. They are found in slow-moving or static freshwater habitats throughout most of the Neotropics, ranging from Florida and Mexico, through the West Indies and Central America, to S ...
'' Sharp, 1882
* ''Megadytes robustus
''Megadytes'' is a genus of diving beetles in the family Dytiscidae. They are found in slow-moving or static freshwater habitats throughout most of the Neotropics, ranging from Florida and Mexico, through the West Indies and Central America, to S ...
'' (Aubé, 1838)
The subgenus and status of these two species are unknown:
* ''Megadytes costalis
''Megadytes'' is a genus of diving beetles in the family Dytiscidae. They are found in slow-moving or static freshwater habitats throughout most of the Neotropics, ranging from Florida and Mexico, through the West Indies and Central America, to S ...
'' (Fabricius, 1775)
* ''Megadytes obovatus
''Megadytes'' is a genus of diving beetles in the family Dytiscidae. They are found in slow-moving or static freshwater habitats throughout most of the Neotropics, ranging from Florida and Mexico, through the West Indies and Central America, to S ...
'' (Kirby, 1826)
References
Dytiscidae genera
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Dytiscidae-stub