Numbers
5 spp. in NA, 12 spp. total
(1)(2)Identification
Adults:
eyes unnotched at antennal bases
mid-femur with short setae (shorter than width of femur at its base)
males with 15-40 adhesive disks on the front tarsal palette: 2-3 large ones (at the base) + several smaller ones; no adhesive hairs (unlike
Acilius)
(1)
ground colour yellow; elytra with a black meshwork studded with numerous small pale spots or reticulation; pronotum and head yellow with or without black markings
(1)
Larvae:
Similar in appearance and size to Acilius larvae but the ligula (palp-like structure located between the maxillary palps) is unifid/one-pronged compared to the bifid ligula in Acilius
Range
Primarily northern in distribution: transcontinental in Canada and most of the northern US; one species (G. liberus) ranges south to Florida in the east.
Habitat
standing water (ponds, eutrophic lakes), mostly open, sun-warmed areas.
Season
all year, adults most often observed in spring and summer
Life Cycle
univoltine
(1); adults overwinter and mate during spring, larvae mature by early to mid-summer
