RETURN TO HOMEPAGE - ENTOMORESIN.COM

DYTISCIDAE

Embedded in clear epoxy resin

CLICK HERE FOR BUY GREAT INSECTS IN CLEAR EPOXY RESIN

CLICK FOR DOWNLOAD

---------------------------------

Classification

Phylum: Arthropoda

Subphylum: Hexapoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Coleoptera

Suborder: Adephaga

Superfamily: Dytiscoidea

Family: Dytiscidae

CLICK FOR DOWNLOAD

DYTISCIDAE

The Dytiscidae - based on the Greek dytikos, ( 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 among leaf litter. The adults of most are between 1 and 2.5 cm long, though much variation is seen between species.

The European Dytiscus latissimus and Brazilian Megadytes ducalis are the largest, reaching up to 4.5 cm & 4.75 cm respectively. In contrast, the smallest is likely the Australian Limbodessus atypicali of subterranean waters, which only is about 0.9 mm long.

Most are dark brown, blackish, or dark olive in color with golden highlights in some subfamilies. The larvae are commonly known as water tigers due to their voracious appetite. Eggs are laid on/in plants above the waterline in early spring. When they hatch, the larvae drop into the water . They have short, but sharp mandibles and immediately upon biting, they deliver digestive enzymes into prey to suck their liquefied remains.

Water tigers are considered important players in mosquito control, but, as Ann Haven Morgan points out in her Field Book of Ponds and Streams, dytiscid larvae share the sunny shallows with tadpoles, and they undoubtedly have a major impact on amphibian populations. Dytiscid are eaten by fish, raccoons, skunks, reptiles, amphibians, and some herons.

Diving beetles are the most diverse beetles in the aquatic environment and can be found in almost every kind of freshwater habitat, from small rock pools to big lakes. Some dytiscid species are also found in brackish water. Diving beetles live in water bodies in various landscapes, including agricultural and urban landscapes.

Predaceous Diving Beetles belong in the order Coleoptera (sheath-wings), a reference to the firm, front pair of wings ( the elytra ) that cover and protect the membranous second pair of flying wings. More than a quarter of all species of living things that have been described are beetles (they have been around for 225 million years, plus or minus), and they outnumber vertebrates 18 to 1. There are 24,000 beetle species in North America alone.

Only about 4% of beetle species are aquatic, but if you do the math, that's still a lot of beetles. Predaceous diving beetles are in the family Dytiscidae, the largest family of aquatic beetles.

CLICK HERE FOR BUY GREAT INSECTS IN CLEAR EPOXY RESIN

RETURN TO HOMEPAGE - ENTOMORESIN.COM