Dicranopselaphus

Larvae of Dicranopselaphus can be distinguished from other Psephenidae by their dorsoventrally flattened, disc-like body form with expanded lateral margins, earning the common name 'water-penny beetles'. Specific species-level identification requires examination of adult genitalia and other subtle morphological characters described in taxonomic revisions by Lee, Yang, and Satô.

Aquatic environments, particularly streams and rivers with flowing water. Larvae attach to submerged rocks, woody debris, and other hard substrates in well-oxygenated waters.

Asia (China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam) and North America (Mexico, USA: Alabama). The distribution is notably disjunct between these regions.

Larvae function as grazers or scrapers on submerged substrates in freshwater ecosystems, contributing to nutrient cycling and serving as prey for aquatic predators.

• PsephenusAlso in family Psephenidae with water-penny larvae; distinguished by adult and larval morphological differences in chaetotaxy and body proportions
• EubriaAnother psephenid genus; Dicranopselaphus differs in adult antennal structure and larval marginal setation patterns

• aquatic
• beetles
• Psephenidae
• water-penny
• freshwater

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy