Species Dytiscus marginicollis - Giant Green Water Beetle

Giant Green Water Beetle - Dytiscus marginicollis - male

Predaceous Water Beetle - Dytiscus marginicollis - male

Dytiscus - Dytiscus marginicollis - male

Large water-type beetle at lights - Dytiscus habilis? - Dytiscus marginicollis

Dytiscus sp. - Dytiscus marginicollis - male

Dytiscus marginicollis? - Dytiscus marginicollis

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Adephaga

Family Dytiscidae (Predaceous Diving Beetles)

Subfamily Dytiscinae

Genus Dytiscus

Species marginicollis (Giant Green Water Beetle)

Explanation of Names

Dytiscus marginicollis (LeConte 1845)

Size

26.7-33 mm (1)

Identification

Diagnosis (1)

body elongated and medium sized; colour reddish brown to black, sometimes with a greenish sheen

rounded metacoxal lobes

males with a median glabrous area on both mesotarsal segments 2 and 3

females with long protarsal claws (longer than protarsal segment 5) and dense punctation over apical (posterior) half of elytra

posterior yellow band of pronotum broad especially in the middle

Range

mainly western; in North America, from southern British Columbia east to Manitoba south to CA, AZ, and NM. Southernmost record was from Durango state in Mexico (1).

Habitat

Most halophilic member of the genus; found regularly in semipermanent saline ponds in grassland habitats (1), less commonly so in nonsaline permanent ponds (1); also reported from hot springs (NV, WY)(1); like other members of the genus, tends to occur at higher elevations in the southern parts of its range (e.g. 2500 m in AZ) (1)

Internet References

U of A. Entomology Collection

Works Cited

1.	Predaceous Diving Beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) of the Nearctic Region, with emphasis on the fauna of Canada and Alaska D.J. Larson, Y. Alarie, and R.E. Roughley. 2001. NRC 43253.

Contributed by Tim Loh on 2 August, 2009 - 11:59am
Last updated 3 August, 2009 - 2:16am

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