Genus Gyrinus

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Range · Remarks · Works Cited

Gyrinus pectoralis LeConte - Gyrinus pectoralis - male

Female, Gyrinus plicifer? - Gyrinus plicifer - female

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Adephaga

Family Gyrinidae (Whirligig Beetles)

Subfamily Gyrininae

Genus Gyrinus

Explanation of Names

Gyrinus Geoffroy 1762

Numbers

>40 spp. in our area (30 in Canada, 28 in Michigan), close to 200 total(1)(2)(3)(4)

Identification

see (5)

Range

worldwide and throughout NA (more diverse in the north); most spp. in the northern hemisphere(1)(2)

Remarks

Our only representative of the cosmopolitan tribe Gyrinini Latreille 1810 that contains 3 genera(2)

Spin crazily over the water surface without running into each other. They have a receptor on a modified 2nd antennal segment so they are aware of the location and direction of the others by the vibrating waves rippling over the surface.(6)

Works Cited

1.	American Beetles, Volume I: Archostemata, Myxophaga, Adephaga, Polyphaga: Staphyliniformia Arnett, R.H., Jr., and M. C. Thomas. (eds.). 2000. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.

2.	Phylogeny and classification of whirligig beetles (Coleoptera: Gyrinidae): relaxed-clock model outperforms parsimony... Miller K.B., Bergsten J. 2012. Systematic Entomology 37: 706–746.

3.	Checklist of beetles (Coleoptera) of Canada and Alaska. Second edition Bousquet Y., Bouchard P., Davies A.E., Sikes D.S. 2013. ZooKeys 360: 1–402.

4.	Bright E. (2002-2011) Aquatic Insects of Michigan

5.	Classification, distribution, and phylogeny of North American (north of Mexico) species of Gyrinus Müller (Coleoptera, Gyrinida Sule Oygur & G.W. Wolfe. 1991. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History.

6.	Insect Behavior Robert W. Matthews and Janice R. Matthews. 1988. Robert E. Krieger Publishing Co.

Contributed by Boris Büche on 3 June, 2007 - 11:49am
Additional contributions by v belov, Marci Hess
Last updated 8 October, 2023 - 8:50am

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