Lesser silver water beetle
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| iLesser silver water beetle | ||||||||||||||
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| Hydrochara caraboides (Linnaeus, 1758) |
The lesser silver water beetle (Hydrochara caraboides) is a species of water scavenger beetle (family Hydrophilidae) only found in the Somerset Levels and a few locations in Cheshire in the United Kingdom. It is classified as an endangered species, protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
The beetle is about 15 mm long and, despite the name, is actually black in colour. It traps air with the hairs on the underside of its body in order to breathe below water, and it is this silver looking bubble of air that gives the beetle its name.
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