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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Staphyliniformia » Hydrophiloidea » Water Scavenger Beetles (Hydrophilidae) » Hydrophilinae » Hydrophilini » Tropisternus

Genus Tropisternus

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Food · Works Cited

Water Scavenger? - Tropisternus lateralis

Tropisternus quadristriatus? - Tropisternus quadristriatus

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga

No Taxon (Series Staphyliniformia)

Superfamily Hydrophiloidea

Family Hydrophilidae (Water Scavenger Beetles)

Subfamily Hydrophilinae

Tribe Hydrophilini

Genus Tropisternus

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

revised in (1)

Explanation of Names

Tropisternus Solier 1834

Numbers

14 spp. with published records in US(2), with 7 reaching Canada

Species:

Tropisternus affinis

Tropisternus apicipalpis

Tropisternus blatchleyi

Tropisternus californicus - CA, OR, Mexico (Baja California)

Tropisternus collaris

Tropisternus columbianus

Tropisternus glaber

Tropisternus lateralis

Tropisternus mixtus

Tropisternus natator

Tropisternus orvus - CA, NV, OR

Tropisternus quadristriatus

Tropisternus salsamentus

Tropisternus sublaevis

Size

8-15 mm

Identification

Keys in (1)(3)(4)

Range

most of the Americas

Habitat

One of the first hydrophilids to be found in newly formed bodies of water, such as buckets, washtubs, etc.

Food

Adults: algae, detritus, animal remains; larvae may be important predators of mosquito larvae in CA rice fields(5)

Works Cited

1.	A revision of the genus Tropisternus (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae) Spangler P.J. 1960. Unpubl. Ph.D. thesis. U. Missouri, Columbia. 365 pp.

2.	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.

3.	The Water Beetles of Florida Epler J.H. 2010. Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Tallahassee. 414 pp.

4.	The Beetles of Northeastern North America, Vol. 1 and 2. Downie, N.M., and R.H. Arnett. 1996. The Sandhill Crane Press, Gainesville, FL.

5.	Field Guide to Beetles of California Arthur V. Evans and James N. Hogue. 2006. University of California Press.

Contributed by Lynette Elliott on 28 April, 2005 - 5:51am
Additional contributions by Hartmut Wisch, Bbarnd, Mike Quinn, v belov, mpintar
Last updated 29 June, 2024 - 8:42am

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