Hydrophilidae

Hydrophilidae is a family of beetles in the order Coleoptera commonly known as water scavenger beetles, notable among aquatic beetles for maxillary palps longer than their antennae. Several former subfamilies, including Epimetopidae, Georissidae, Helophoridae, Hydrochidae and Spercheidae, have since been elevated to family rank of their own, and while most hydrophilids remain aquatic, about a third of described species, mostly in the subfamily Sphaeridiinae, are terrestrial. Larvae are predatory with rare exceptions, while adults may scavenge or act as herbivores or predators; species of the genus Hydrophilus are reported as pests in fish hatcheries, while others feed on mosquito larvae and have been studied as potential biological control agents.