Diving beetles are predatory aquatic beetles of the family Dytiscidae, streamlined and equipped with long, flattened, hair-fringed hind legs used as oars to swim through ponds and slow streams worldwide. They breathe underwater by trapping a bubble of air beneath their wing covers, periodically surfacing to replenish it, and both the adults and their equally predatory larvae, sometimes called water tigers, actively hunt other aquatic invertebrates, tadpoles and small fish.
Facts
Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceThe adults of most are between 1 and 2.5 cm (0.4-1.0 in) long, though much variation is seen between species 1 Scientific Name Sources
1. Dytiscidae (Wikipedia)
Introduction
the predaceous diving beetles, a family of water beetles
Description section
The adults of most are between 1 and 2.5 cm (0.4-1.0 in) long, though much variation is seen between species
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