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photo of a predaceous diving beetle

  • Thread starter ECooper
  • Start date
hm. Great pic.
 
Really nice site and write up about the diving beetle setup!
 
great pic. However I think it is a hydrophilidae (water scavanger beetle) rather than a dyticidae (predaceous diving beetle) unless of course they have merged the two families :)cuss:taxonomists). This side view provides a nice view of the meso sternum and can see a spine that runs from the meso sternum to abdomen. Classic morphological character for the hydrophilids. Behavior wise did it swim like a frog (pairs of legs working together) or like it was running in the water?

very nice pic that it can allow me to see that detail. :)
 
great pic. However I think it is a hydrophilidae (water scavanger beetle) rather than a dyticidae (predaceous diving beetle) unless of course they have merged the two families :)cuss:taxonomists). This side view provides a nice view of the meso sternum and can see a spine that runs from the meso sternum to abdomen. Classic morphological character for the hydrophilids. Behavior wise did it swim like a frog (pairs of legs working together) or like it was running in the water?

very nice pic that it can allow me to see that detail. :)

Thanks for the response! It is always nice to hear from someone that knows what they are talking about. That being said, I really thought it was a predaceous diving beetle, but I am certainly no expert. I thought it was swimming like rowing a boat, but to tell the truth, now that I have watched again I can’t tell for sure…it is moving too fast. I see the structure you are talking about. Tomorrow why don’t I see about taking a good photo of its ventral surface and post it for you to take a look at?

EC
www.macrocritters.wordpress.com


Thanks for the response...
 
pic here illustrates the spine
http://thingsbiological.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/water-scavenger-beetle-family-hydrophilidae/

maybe this guy?
Tropisternus collaris (Fabricius) - Tropisternus collaris
http://bugguide.net/node/view/416372


However I do not see clubbed antenna so am now guessing again. Clubbed antenna are another diagnostic character for this group...

but I dunno squat about mainland beetles. All new things for me to learn about. Odd thing about this family of beetles in Hawaii is we apparently have a few that are terrestrial just to mess up the minds of general entomology students......

Just wish the many people wanting me to do quick ids of their insects could post such high quality, clear pictures. Most I have gotten are blobs with legs or antenna sticking out of them. I can probably do an count of antennal segments on the ant pics on your web site.
 
Last edited:
Woah crazy cool pic!! Looks like its got a bubble around it to allow for air.
 
  • #11
Amazing photo! I love how you showed how you took it - sometimes it's really frustrating when I don't understand how a pic is taken. :p

I subscribed yesterday/this morning.
 
  • #12
pic here illustrates the spine
http://thingsbiological.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/water-scavenger-beetle-family-hydrophilidae/

maybe this guy?
Tropisternus collaris (Fabricius) - Tropisternus collaris
http://bugguide.net/node/view/416372


However I do not see clubbed antenna so am now guessing again. Clubbed antenna are another diagnostic character for this group...

but I dunno squat about mainland beetles. All new things for me to learn about. Odd thing about this family of beetles in Hawaii is we apparently have a few that are terrestrial just to mess up the minds of general entomology students......

Just wish the many people wanting me to do quick ids of their insects could post such high quality, clear pictures. Most I have gotten are blobs with legs or antenna sticking out of them. I can probably do an count of antennal segments on the ant pics on your web site.

The spine is certainly prominent on that species isn’t it? But is it characteristic of all genera within the Hydrophilini? Or the Hydrophilinae? I really don’t know at what taxonomic level I should be looking at...

Thanks again for the comment about the photos! I’m glad it isn’t just me struggling with this! I don’t think it is Tropisternus collaris...at least not if the distinctive markings are diagnostic. I have searched and haven’t found any photos of diving beetles with those markings. When I was looking at I thought maybe it was Coptotomus which is common in Canada and has variable markings: http://bugguide.net/node/view/58028

So what exactly do you do that people send you pictures of insects?

Cheers,
EC
www.macrocritters.wordpress.com
 
  • #13
Amazing photo! I love how you showed how you took it - sometimes it's really frustrating when I don't understand how a pic is taken. :p

I subscribed yesterday/this morning.

Thank you very much! I really appreciate it! I always feel the same way and really like it when someone explains their technique, so that is the format I am trying to follow with my blog. The great thing is that writing the blog has me really thinking of new things to try...

Cheers,
EC
www.macrocritters.wordpress.com
 
  • #14
Amazing photo! I love how you showed how you took it - sometimes it's really frustrating when I don't understand how a pic is taken. :p

I subscribed yesterday/this morning.

By the way...I see you live in Ottawa...lots of great insects on Southern Ontario!

Cheers,
EC
www.macrocritters.wordpress.com
 
  • #15
the spine was more or less definitive for most of the family. I think at the sub family level there were one group that didn't have it (the exceptions to the rule that made me hate taxonomists).

i tell people I am more or less the entomologist that hates identification of insects, I like plants better. For work I am dealing with detecting new insect pests (agricultural pests so weeds, plant diseases, etc) on Maui, Molokai and Lanai... So people ask for ids and make really general descriptions or send me pics of blobs or bring me something that has been squished or cooked to death in the car that no longer even looks like an insect :p
 
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