Burrowing water beetle
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Phreatodytinae |
The burrowing water beetles are a family (Noteridae C. G. Thomson 1857) of 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 12 genera, and is found worldwide, more commonly in the tropics.
These beetles are relatively small, ranging from 1 to 5 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.
[edit] Reference
- R. E. Roughley, "Noteridae", in Ross H. Arnett, Jr. and Michael C. Thomas, American Beetles (CRC Press, 2001), vol. 1
