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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Staphyliniformia » Hydrophiloidea » Water Scavenger Beetles (Hydrophilidae) » Hydrophilinae » Hydrophilini » Giant Water Scavenger Beetles (Hydrophilus) » Hydrophilus ovatus
Photo#57695
Giant Water Beetle - Hydrophilus ovatus
Copyright © 2006 Jim McClarin

Giant Water Beetle - Hydrophilus ovatus
Nashua, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, USA
June 12, 2006
Size: about 35 mm
Came to UV lights on warm, somewhat humid night. After studying the guide and especially Patrick Coin's comments about classification, Hydrophilus seemed the appropriate genus for this beetle.

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Giant Water Beetle - Hydrophilus ovatus Giant Water Beetle - Hydrophilus ovatus Giant Water Beetle - Hydrophilus ovatus Giant Water Beetle - Hydrophilus ovatus
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Contributed by Jim McClarin on 14 June, 2006 - 10:27pm
Last updated 16 June, 2006 - 8:32pm

Hydrophilidae: Hydrophilus ovatus
This used to be in its own genus, Dibolocelus, but now is a subgenus of Hydrophilus. H. triangularis hasn't been taken this far north (Connecticut is the furthest north to the best of my knowledge), while we do have one record of H. ovatus in the collection (but not in the database), and which this specimen resembles. If you still have it, I would like it. A young lady actually wrote a small paper on the discovery of this species so far north (Lee, NH!).
… Donald S. Chandler, 16 June, 2006 - 7:52am login or register to post comments

 
I chucked it out the window,
but I'll fire up the UV light station the next few nights and see if I can get it or another one for you. Thank you for the ID.
… Jim McClarin, 16 June, 2006 - 8:31pm login or register to post comments

I am pretty sure this is hydr
I am pretty sure this is hydrophilius triangularis.
… William Ericson, 15 June, 2006 - 2:00am login or register to post comments

 
Why?
What characteristics do you see here that would indicate that species? I found a few dorsal habitus images of Hydrophilus (-lus, not -lius) triangularis and no ventral views, which are especially important for waterbeetle ID. I found a ventral view drawing in American Beetles, but the leg length and tibial spurs seem all wrong for this species. (Maybe the artist just needed new corrective lenses.)
… Jim McClarin, 15 June, 2006 - 6:10am login or register to post comments

 
no I could be extremely wrong
no I could be extremely wrong. I was looking at my collection, I have ten hydrophilius trangularis, a few are from the east cost, they are almost identical.
… William Ericson, 15 June, 2006 - 10:33am login or register to post comments

 
When you compared them
did you turn your specimens over to view their undersides?
… Jim McClarin, 15 June, 2006 - 4:33pm login or register to post comments

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