| Wasp Diving Beetle | |
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| Image from Georgiy Jacobson's book 'Beetles of Russia & Western Europe' in 1905 | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Dytiscidae |
| Genus: | Dytiscus |
| Species: | D. circumflexus
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| Binomial name | |
| Dytiscus circumflexus O.F.Müller, Zoologiae Danicae Prodromus, seu Animalium Daniae et Norvegiae Indigenarum characteres, nomina, et synonyma imprimis popularium , 1776
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| Synonyms | |
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The wasp diving beetle (Dytiscus circumflexus) is an aquatic diving beetle native to Europe and northern Asia, and is particularly common in England.
Formerly known as Dytiscus punctulatus F.
It is listed in the Catalogue of Life,[2]
Description edit
In this species the metacoxal plates are sharply pointed. It is 30 mm or more in length and the pronotum has narrow yellow borders front and back with the sides being only a little wider. Other distinguishing features are the underside of the beetle which is straw-yellowish with wide dark edges, the metacoxae & the last sternite are dark; the eyes have no pale rim and the scutellum has a yellow centre. The scutellum is usually dark in this species.[3] Habitat Freshwater ponds and lakes and canals. It flies well and may also be attracted to light.[3] UK Status Widespread in England and Wales, but seems to be rather local.[3]
The metacoxal plates are sharply pointed, narrow borders on pronotum. If the underside of your beetle is yellowish with wide dark edges, the metacoxae & the last sternite are dark; the eyes have no pale rim and the scutellum has a yellow center. You have Dytiscus circumflexus. [4]
Distribution edit
It is found in Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China).[2]
Habitat edit
References edit
- ^ "Dytiscus semisulcatus | NBN Atlas". species.nbnatlas.org. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Catalogue of Life : Dytiscus semisulcatus O. F. Müller, 1776". www.catalogueoflife.org. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ a b c "Dytiscus circumflexus | NatureSpot". www.naturespot.org.uk. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- ^ Chalkley, Adrian. "Great Diving Beetle Identification" (PDF). sns.org.uk (Suffolk Naturalist Society). Retrieved 7 April 2020.
Further reading edit
- BALFOUR-BROWNE, F., 1913. 'The life-history of a water beetle.' Nature, 92, 20.
External links edit
;Category:Dytiscidae
;Category:Beetles of Europe
;Category:Beetles described in 1776