Today I’m going to focus on two aquatic beetle groups that a lot of people have a hard time telling apart from one another: the predaceous diving beetles (family Dytiscidae, the dytiscids) and the water scavenger beetles (family Hydrophilidae, the hydrophilids). If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office. Water Scavenger beetles (WSB) are hefty beetles (some measure more than 3 inches) that are often mistaken for the Dytiscids or Predaceous Diving beetles (PDBs) of previous BOTW fame. Habitats discussed in detail in. Shrikant Kelkar's video clip taken at Kalwa, Maharashtra, India in July 2015 Family : Hydrophilidae. Chronological Index to the Field Station Bulletin. Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf and Snout Beetles), Hydrophiloidea (Water Scavenger and Clown Beetles), Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga), Water Scavenger and Clown Beetles (Hydrophiloidea), American Beetles, Volume I: Archostemata, Myxophaga, Adephaga, Polyphaga: Staphyliniformia. At 0.25 mm in length it is some 16 million times smaller in volume than the largest beetle, Goliathus giganteus (family Scarabaeidae), which may have a body length up to 10 cm. Water Scavenger Beetles are predators and some eat mosquito larvae, naturally reducing the size of summertime mosquito populations. Voshell, in A Guide to Common Freshwater Invertebrates of North America, says that beetle comes from the Old English bitula—to bite—a reference to the strong jaws of adult beetles. (19 mm) long. Swimming involves alternate strokes (left-right-left-right) of their flattened, hairy, second and third pairs of legs, in contrast to the PDB’s oar-like strokes. The water scavenger beetles (family Hydrophilidae), of similar appearance, are abundant in marshy places in warm parts of the world and feed on water plants and decaying matter. (ed.) Scavenger beetles consume the dead and decaying organic material found in the water. Adults are collectors, gatherers, or predators. Many have keeled sterna. The swimming method helps distinguish them from the similar water scavenger beetles, which are in a different family. Related Species: The water scavenger beetle family is a large one, including many Colorado species in the genera Berosus, Helophorus, Tropisternus, and Enochrus. 2: Hydrophiloidea (Coleoptera). Movement: Interesting Facts: BOTW hasn’t plunged underwater for several months now, but in this episode we will get a chance to get our collective gills wet again. According to Eaton and Kaufman, in the Field Guide to Insects of North America, some species of WSB can squeak by rubbing their abdomen against the underside of the wing covers. The oval whirligig beetle has brownish yellow legs and often swim in circles. A Water Scavenger Beetle. Even their larvae are omnivores, eating small insects, detritus, and other debris in the water. The adults come up for air head first, and move hind legs alternately (Dysticidae come up for air tail first and move hind legs together, like oars), Mostly aquatic; Sphaeridiinae are terrestrial (in dung, compost, carrion, and other decaying organic matter). Others are herbivores and scavenge off of aquatic plants. Size: Approximately 40 mm Habitat: Usually found in ponds, shallow lakes, and along the shoreline of flowing water. WSB larvae are described as “sluggish” and are found crawling on the pond floor or climbing on underwater vegetation. Some have a conspicuous ridge on the underside of the thorax. Your donation to BugGuide will be matched up to $2500! Georyssidae, Helophoridae, Hydrochidae, Spercheidae, Sphaeridiidae, Aquatic forms may superficially resemble Dysticidae but can be easily distinguished by antennae. Habitat: Water scavenger beetles can be found in almost any aquatic habitat, including temporary pools, wetlands, marshes, ponds and slow sections of flowing waters. While other water beetles swim by alternating their leg movements, the diving beetle moves its legs together like oars. Their larvae are predaceous. The herbivorous type feed on the aquatic vegetation like the dead leaves and algae. Like other beetles, they have membranous hindwings that are covered by forewings that are thick, heavy shields (elytra). The giant black water beetle (Hydrophilus triangularis) (Figure 1) is the largest aquatic-dwelling beetle in not only Florida, but in the entire United States (Epler 2010). The larvae is a “couch-potato” version of the sleek PDB larvae/ water tigers (pictured) (they sometimes share the “water tiger” moniker). At the water’s surface, the beetles project their antennae out of the water to capture a bubble of air. The smallest beetle is the fringed ant beetle, Nanosella fungi (family Ptiliidae). Like the true water beetles, water scavenger beetles must find a way of supplying themselves with oxygen while they forage underwater. What they don’t share is a lifestyle. Water Scavenger beetles (WSB) are hefty beetles (some measure more than 3 inches) that are often mistaken for the Dytiscids or Predaceous Diving beetles (PDBs) of previous BOTW fame. In The New Field Book of Freshwater Life, Elsie Klots says that the egg case of one genus includes a vertical “mast” that extends above the water’s surface. Eggs are laid in a cocoon-like case that is attached to aquatic plants or left to float like a raft. When the wings are closed, the elytra create a line straight down the back. Adults sometimes hibernate and can be found in the water all year. Kingdom - Animals - Animalia. FAMILY HYBOSORIDAE (Scavenger Scarab Beetles) Hybosorus illigeri Hybosorus illigeri Hybosorus illigeri ... Ochthebius Ochthebius Ochthebius FAMILY HYDROPHILIDAE (Water Scavenger Beetles) Browse here. Sometimes considered a subfamily of the water scavenger beetles (Hydrophilidae), the adults of this group of small beetles are recognized by five parallel grooves in their pronotum. (2010) Aquatic Hydrophilidae of Mississippi. Hydrophilidae, also called water scavenger beetles, is a family of chiefly aquatic beetles. While a PDB breathes by backing its rear end up to the water’s surface, a WSB breaks through the surface film with its “un-wet-able” antennae, which form a funnel through which air is transported. Aquatic hydrophilids are notable for their long maxillary palps, which are longer than their antennae. The mast may be concerned with respiration, but it may also be an escape hatch for larvae (escape being vital in a group whose young hatch from eggs within a case and immediately start chowing-down on their siblings). These beetles are found swimming in marshy freshwater ponds throughout the world, especially in warm regions. Class - Insects - Insecta. A case may hold 100+ eggs at the start, but cannibalism reduces the number of larvae that live to exit. Water Scavenger Beetle (Family Hydrophilidae) July 21, 2009 Pevnick. Water scavenger beetle definition is - a water beetle of the family Hydrophilidae. Pores ) at its tip the smallest beetle is the fringed ant beetle, Nanosella fungi ( family Gyrinidae are... India in July 2015 family: Hydrophilidae Identification: Smooth, oval, dark brown black. From the similar water scavenger beetles consume the dead leaves and algae through spiracles ( pores ) at tip! 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