| Diving
Beetle
These sleek, shiny beetles look like they’re built
for speed! They are generally called dytiscids
(pronounced die-tih-sids)
What they look like:
Diving Beetles are smooth, oval and streamlined with
hairy, paddle-shaped hind legs. There is a cavity under
their wings that holds an air supply, so they can remain
under water for long periods.
Size:
Up to 40 mm long.
Where they live:
Both the adult and the larval forms live on the edges
of streams and ponds, either on the surface or within.
They hide among reeds in swiftly flowing water. Adults
of most species are strong fliers.
What they eat:
Diving Beetles have biting mouthparts and eat other
aquatic organisms or animals that fall into the ponds,
dead or alive. They can eat snails and fish much larger
than themselves.
Pollution
tolerance. Very tolerant, rating 2.
If living conditions get bad,
Diving Beetles leave the pond by flying to another.
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What’s interesting about
the Diving Beetle?
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