Species Copelatus glyphicus

Copelatus glyphicus (Say 1823)

adult 4.2-4.6 mm(1), larva ~7.5 mm

Adult: pale yellowish brown to reddish brown, ventral surface darker. Body with fine, moderately dense punctation dorsally. Pronotum with lateral bead complete. Each elytron with short sulcus near margin plus 10 complete sulci. Venter with prosternal process relatively flattened, convex basally.(1)

Larva: gray with grayish-brown or yellowish-brown spots on thoracic segments 2 and 3 and a medial longitudinal stripe. Body subdepressed, elongate. Head subquadrate, with 6 ocelli; antennae 4-segmented, cylindrical, segments 1 and 3 subequal in length, 4th shortest about ½ length of 3. Pronotum with sides rounded, lateral margin with few long setae. Cerci 1-segmented, about as long as abdominal segment 8. Legs without swimming hairs. (Spangler 1962)

Det. T. Loh, 2010

e. NA (TX-FL-QC-MN) - Map (1)(2)

ponds, pools, puddles, hollow trees, leaf litter, and temporary pools; adults come to light

adults Mar-Aug in NC

larvae and adults feed on copepods, ostracods, springtails, and aquatic fly larvae

C. chevrolati is the only other Copelatus species present in Canada

very similar to C. punctulatus which is sometimes relegated to synonymy under C. glyphicus. C. punctulatus has punctures on intervals between elytral striae and is common in Florida. (3)

In C. chevrolati, each elytron has only 8 grooves (striae or sulci) rather than 10 (Young 1953)

Spangler P.J. (1962) Natural history of Plummers Island, Maryland. XIV. Biological notes and description of the larva and pupa of Copelatus glyphicus (Say) (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 75: 19-24.