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Family Noteridae - Burrowing Water Beetles

Representative Images

Suphis inflatus (LeConte) - Suphis inflatus Pennsylvania Beetle - Hydrocanthus iricolor Suphisellus - Suphisellus puncticollis winter water beetle found in lotus receptacle (seed pod) - Hydrocanthus winter water beetle found in lotus receptacle (seed pod) - Hydrocanthus Suphisellus - Suphisellus gibbulus Beetle - Hydrocanthus Suphisellus

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Adephaga
Family Noteridae (Burrowing Water Beetles)

Explanation of Names

Noteridae Thomson 1860

Numbers

14 spp. in 6 genera in our area(1), all but one present in FL(2), ~260 spp. in 16 genera of 3 subfamilies worldwide(3)

Identification

see (2)

Range

worldwide, more diverse in warmer climes, esp. in the tropics(3); most of our spp. occur in se.US, FL fauna being by far the richest(2)

Habitat

mostly in standing water, usually associated with algae, plants and plant roots(2)

Food

Adults are predacious; larvae may be omnivorous(2)

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.The Water Beetles of Florida
Epler J.H. 2010. Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Tallahassee. 414 pp.
3.Nilsson A.N. (2011) A world catalogue of the family Noteridae, or the burrowing water beetles (Coleoptera, Adephaga)
Contributed by tom murray on 28 April, 2006 - 8:21am
Additional contributions by Phillip Harpootlian, Mike Quinn, Tim Moyer, v belov
Last updated 20 August, 2025 - 2:02pm

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