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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Elateriformia » Scirtoidea » Marsh Beetles (Scirtidae) » Elodes
Photo#100941
Scirtidae: Elodes Larva - Elodes
Copyright © 2007 Joe, Entomologist (in training)

Scirtidae: Elodes Larva - Elodes
Ames, Story County, Iowa, USA
March 31, 2007
Size: 7 mm
Quite possibly the easiest larva I will ever have to ID... this is the only holometabolous group with multisegmented antennae... the three ocelli makes this one Elodes... we'll need a new guide page

I collected a dozen of these in a tree hole, but for some reason all are now dead... Merritt & Cummins says they breathe through a spiracle on the dorsum of abdominal segment 8; thusly, they must stay in close contact with the water... it seems I may have inadvertently drown them while sloshing them home... I'll have to remember to check that hole again and be more careful collecting them

Images of this individual: tag all
Scirtidae: Elodes Larva - Elodes Scirtidae: Elodes Larva - Elodes Scirtidae: Elodes Larva - Elodes
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Contributed by Joe, Entomologist (in training) on 1 April, 2007 - 9:22pm
Last updated 10 April, 2007 - 5:20am

Wow
It looks so much like a member of Thysanura that I would have never thought it to be a beetle larvae!
… Jonas Insinga, 5 April, 2008 - 11:36am login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Marsh Beetles.
… Boris Büche, 10 April, 2007 - 5:20am login or register to post comments

Scirtidae: Yes!
Elodes: probably no!

Dear Joe, Elodes sp. use to develop in running waters. The typical Scirtids of treeholes are Prionocyphon sp..

cheers, Boris
… Boris Büche, 2 April, 2007 - 2:18am login or register to post comments

 
Merrit & Cummins lists the ha
Merrit & Cummins lists the habitat as follows: Tree holes, seeps (including mineral springs)

... plus I'm fairly confident that I can see three ocelli, which instantly separates the group in the key

... the other character is the shape of the hypopharynx, which I cannot verify until I get it under a scope
… Joe, Entomologist (in training), 2 April, 2007 - 11:05am login or register to post comments

 
then it´s different in North America!
Where I live, they behave like I told.

:-)
… Boris Büche, 2 April, 2007 - 11:48am login or register to post comments

 
FYI
Cyphon (14 spp): Lentic - Littoral, tree holes
Elodes (4 spp): Tree holes, seeps
Flavohelodes (3 spp.): Tree holes, seeps
Microcara (1 spp): ?
Ora (1 spp): ?
Prionocyphon (2 spp): tree holes
Sarabandus (3 spp): ?
Scirtes (7 spp) Lentic - Vascular Hydrophytes

... apparently the Neartic fauna is happier in tree holes than lotic habitats
… Joe, Entomologist (in training), 2 April, 2007 - 3:26pm login or register to post comments

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