Water-beetle
Guides
Crenitis paradigma
Crenitis paradigma is a species of water scavenger beetle in the family Hydrophilidae. It is a small aquatic beetle known from western North America. The species was described by Orchymont in 1942. Like other members of the genus Crenitis, it is associated with aquatic or semi-aquatic habitats.
Epimetopus thermarum
Epimetopus thermarum is a water beetle in the family Epimetopidae, described by Schwarz and Barber in 1918. It is one of approximately 60 described species in the genus Epimetopus, which are specialized aquatic beetles found in the Americas. The species name "thermarum" (Latin for "of warm springs") suggests an association with thermal or warm-water habitats. Members of this genus are known for their distinctive morphology adapted to aquatic environments.
Haliplus apicalis
Haliplus apicalis is a species of water beetle in the family Haliplidae, first described by Thomson in 1868. It is distributed across the British Isles and northwestern Europe, with records also indicating presence in North America. The species belongs to a genus of small aquatic beetles commonly known as crawling water beetles.
Haliplus cylindricus
Haliplus cylindricus is a species of crawling water beetle in the family Haliplidae, described by Roberts in 1913. The species belongs to a genus of small aquatic beetles commonly found in freshwater habitats. Very few observations of this species have been documented, with only two records in iNaturalist as of the available data. Like other haliplids, it is presumed to inhabit shallow, vegetated waters where it feeds on algae and small aquatic organisms.
Hydraena pensylvanica
Hydraena pensylvanica is a species of minute aquatic beetle in the family Hydraenidae, first described by Kiesenwetter in 1849. Despite its specific epithet suggesting a Pennsylvania origin, this species occurs across eastern North America. Like other members of the genus Hydraena, it inhabits shallow freshwater habitats. The species is poorly documented in recent literature, with only a handful of observations recorded on community science platforms.
Hydrovatus
Hydrovatus is a genus of diving beetles in the family Dytiscidae, subfamily Hydroporinae, and tribe Hydrovatini. The genus comprises approximately 214 species globally, with documented presence across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Members are aquatic beetles inhabiting lentic and slow-moving lotic freshwater environments. The genus was established by Motschulsky in 1853.
Laccophilus pictus insignis
Laccophilus pictus insignis is a subspecies of diving beetle in the family Dytiscidae, described by Sharp in 1882. It belongs to the genus Laccophilus, a group of small predatory diving beetles commonly known as water beetles. The subspecies is distributed across Middle America and North America. As with other members of its genus, it is likely an aquatic predator inhabiting freshwater environments, though specific ecological details for this subspecies remain poorly documented in available sources.
Notomicrus
Notomicrus is a genus of small water beetles in the family Noteridae, first described by Sharp in 1882. Species occur in freshwater habitats across the New World, from North America through Central America to South America and the Caribbean. The genus includes at least 13 described species, with several recent descriptions from Guadeloupe and Suriname. Some species exhibit unusual reproductive traits, including suspected obligate parthenogenesis.
Notomicrus sharpi
Notomicrus sharpi is a small water beetle in the family Noteridae, originally described by Balfour-Browne in 1939. The species is one of four Notomicrus species recorded from Guadeloupe, where it occurs alongside three endemic congeneric species. It is distinguished from these and other New World Notomicrus species primarily by features of the external male genitalia. The species has been documented across the Caribbean, Middle America, and North America.
Peltodytes dispersus
Peltodytes dispersus is a species of crawling water beetle in the family Haliplidae, described by Roberts in 1913. It is currently recognized as a valid species within the genus Peltodytes, though some sources list it as a synonym of Peltodytes simplex. The species has been recorded from North America.
Sperchopsis tessellata
Checkered Water Beetle
Sperchopsis tessellata, commonly known as the Checkered Water Beetle, is a species of water scavenger beetle in the family Hydrophilidae. It is distributed across eastern North America, from Canada through the eastern and central United States. As a member of the Hydrophilidae family, it is adapted to aquatic environments. The species was first described by Ziegler in 1844 under the basionym Spercheus tessellatus.
Tropisternus lateralis
Lateral-lined Water Beetle
Tropisternus lateralis is a hydrophilid water beetle with a broad distribution across the Americas, ranging from Canada through the United States, Mexico, and South America to the Caribbean. Studies of subspecies T. lateralis nimbatus in Texas playas documented colonization from surrounding aquatic habitats during flood periods, drought avoidance through aerial dispersal, and secondary production of 1.31 g/m²/0.25 year. Males of the related subspecies T. lateralis limbalis produce species-specific stridulatory sounds used in male-male interactions and possibly mate attraction.