Hydrophilidae

Hydrophilidae
Temporal range: Late Jurassic–Recent
Hydrophilus piceus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Staphyliniformia
Superfamily: Hydrophiloidea
Family: Hydrophilidae
Latreille, 1802
Genera

169

Hydrophilidae, also known colloquially as water scavenger beetles, is a family of beetles.[1][2] Aquatic hydrophilids are notable for their long maxillary palps, which are longer than their antennae.[3] Several of the former subfamilies of Hydrophilidae have recently been removed and elevated to family rank; Epimetopidae, Georissidae (= Georyssidae), Helophoridae, Hydrochidae, and Spercheidae.[1][4] While the majority of hydrophilids are aquatic, around a third of described species are terrestrial, mostly belonging to the subfamily Sphaeridiinae.[5][6]

With rare exceptions, the larvae are predatory while the adults may be herbivores or predators in addition to scavenging.[7] Many species are able to produce sounds.[8]

Species of Hydrophilus are reported as pests in fish hatcheries.[7] Other species are voracious consumers of mosquito larvae, and have potential as biological control agents.[7][9]

This beetle family contains 2,835 species in 169 genera.[10]

  1. ^ a b "BugGuide: Family Hydrophilidae – Water Scavenger Beetles". bugguide.net. Retrieved 2015-06-30.
  2. ^ "Hydrophilidae – UNH Center for Freshwater Biology". UNH. Retrieved 2015-06-30.
  3. ^ "Sphaeridiinae Definition. Crossword Dictionary". worddomination.com. Retrieved 2015-06-30.
  4. ^ Hansen, Michael (1999). "Fifteen new genera of Hydrophilidae (Coleoptera), with remarks on the generic classification of the family". Insect Systematics & Evolution. 30 (2): 121–172. doi:10.1163/187631200X00228.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Y.N. Minoshima, M. Seidel, J.R. Wood, R.A.B. Leschen, N.L. Gunter, M. Fikáček Morphology and biology of the flower-visiting water scavenger beetle genus Rygmodus (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae) Entomological Science, 21 (2018), pp. 363-384, 10.1111/ens.12316
  7. ^ a b c "Water Scavenger Beetles". Missouri Department of Conservation. Archived from the original on 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2015-06-30.
  8. ^ Ryker, Lee C. (1976). "Acoustic Behavior of Tropisternus ellipticus, T. columbianus, and T. lateralis limbalis in Western Oregon (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae)". The Coleopterists Bulletin. 30 (2): 147–156. ISSN 0010-065X. JSTOR 3999809.
  9. ^ Shaalan, Essam; Canyon, D. V. (2009). "Aquatic insect predators and mosquito control". Tropical Biomedicine. 26 (3): 223–61. PMID 20237438. Retrieved 2015-06-30 – via academia.edu.
  10. ^ Short & Fikáček, 2011: 85, table 1 (see bibliography)