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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Series Elateriformia » Pill, Water and Toe-winged Beetles (Byrrhoidea) » Riffle Beetles (Elmidae)

Family Elmidae - Riffle Beetles

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Print References · Works Cited
Macrelmis Riffle Beetle - Stenelmis crenata Macrelmis moestus - Macrelmis moesta Microcylloepus Optioservus quadrimaculatus? - Optioservus ovalis aquatic beetle larva - Stenelmis Coleoptera - Optioservus Stenelmis
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf and Snout Beetles)
No Taxon (Series Elateriformia)
Superfamily Byrrhoidea (Pill, Water and Toe-winged Beetles)
Family Elmidae (Riffle Beetles)
Explanation of Names
Elmidae Curtis 1830
Numbers
ca. 100 spp. in 26 genera in our area; NA fauna is relatively well-known(1)(2); ~1500 spp. in ~150 genera worldwide(3)
Overview of our faunaTaxa not yet in the guide are marked (*)
Family ELMIDAE
Subfamily Elminae
Tribe Ancyronychini Ancyronyx
Tribe Elmini Ampumixis · Atractelmis · Bryelmis · Cleptelmis · Cylloepus · Dubiraphia · Gonielmis · Heterelmis · Heterlimnius · Hexacylloepus · Huleechius · Macrelmis · Microcylloepus · Narpus · Neocylloepus · Neoelmis · Optioservus · Ordobrevia · Oulimnius · Promoresia · *Rhizelmis · Stenelmis · *Xenelmis
Tribe Macronychini Macronychus · Zaitzevia
Subfamily Larainae
Tribe Laraini Lara · Phanocerus
Identification
keys to genera based on adult and larval characters in(4)
Range
worldwide and throughout NA(1)(5)
Habitat
larvae and most adults aquatic; usually live in rapid cool streams(1); "the most truly aquatic of our water beetles"(6)
Season
adults and larvae can be found year-round(1)
Food
decayed plant material, algae(6)
Print References
Burke H.R. (1963) Notes on Texas riffle beetles (Coleoptera: Elmidae). Southwestern Nat. 8(2): 111-114.
Works Cited
1.American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea
Arnett, R.H., Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.). 2002. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.
2.Aquatic dryopoid beetles (Coleoptera) of the United States
Brown H.P. 1972. USEPA Water Poll. Control Res. Ser., Vol. 6. ix+82 pp.
3.Order Coleoptera Linnaeus, 1758. In: Zhang Z.-Q. (ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification...
Ślipiński S.A., Leschen R.A.B., Lawrence J.F. 2011. Zootaxa 3148: 203–208.
4.Aquatic Insects of North America
R. W. Merritt, K. W. Cummins, M.B. Berg. 2008. Kendall/Hunt.
5.A catalog of Coleoptera of America North of Mexico. Elmidae
Brown H.P. 1983. USDA Agriculture handbook no. 529-143b. x + 23 pp.
6.The Water Beetles of Florida
Epler J.H. 2010. Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Tallahassee. 414 pp.
Contributed by Phillip Harpootlian on 25 July, 2005 - 10:48am
Additional contributions by cotinis, Mike Quinn, Tim Moyer, v belov
Last updated 26 June, 2016 - 10:30am

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