Water Scavenger Beetle

Scientific name:
(Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae)

Facts: Water scavenger beetles are also common in a wide range of sizes and are generally brown or black. Some water scavenger beetles have a conspicuous ridge on the underside of the thorax. This ridge easily distinguishes them from predaceous diving beetles. Adults usually feed on decaying matter; larvae are usually predaceous. To breathe, water scavenger beetles hold an air bubble on the undersurface of the body. These beetles come to the water surface head first.

Photo credit: Bastiaan (Bart) Drees