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|  » Stats |
Members: 50,170
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Top Poster: glsammy (15,069)
| | Welcome to our newest member, RMTREDSTON | |  | | 
31-08-2007, 08:00 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Small North Lincolnshire village
Posts: 9,662
| | | Diving Beetle
Hi all.
I'm not sure if this should be in the water life or insect forum so if I have posted in the wrong place maybe a moderator could move it please.
I was at my local reserve yesterday when I bumped into an another of the regular visitors.
Anyway he produced from a pill bottle the beetle I have shown below. Unfortunately it was a dead specimen but in good condition still. I hadn't a clue as to which beetle it was but he seemed to think it could have been a Great Diving Beetle. The body was around the size of a ten pence piece, quite a magnificent specimen in my eyes anyway.
Just wondered if anyone could confirm the ID on it please.
Roger   |
31-08-2007, 08:06 PM
| | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 381
| | | Re: Diving Beetle
It isn't a Great Diving Beetle, but it is a Diving Beetle - Dytiscus sp. I am not sure what one but will look at my keys on Monday.
Cheers
Jon |
31-08-2007, 08:06 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Edge of the New Forest, Hampshire
Posts: 5,208
| | | Re: Diving Beetle
Would agree with Great Diving Beetle. |
31-08-2007, 08:07 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Edge of the New Forest, Hampshire
Posts: 5,208
| | | Re: Diving Beetle
Quote:
Originally Posted by JonSadler  It isn't a Great Diving Beetle, but it is a Diving Beetle - Dytiscus sp. I am not sure what one but will look at my keys on Monday.
Cheers
Jon | Ignore my last comment.  |
31-08-2007, 08:14 PM
| | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 381
| | | Re: Diving Beetle
Hi Deer Stalker
They are called Great Diving beetles in many texts so you are correct! There is always confusion with the Great Silver divng beetle - only one species of this. The confusion this time was in my mind!!! There are six Dytiscus 'grea' diving beetles but only one G. Silver....
Cheers
Jon |
31-08-2007, 08:16 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Edge of the New Forest, Hampshire
Posts: 5,208
| | | Re: Diving Beetle
Quote:
Originally Posted by JonSadler Hi Deer Stalker
They are called Great Diving beetles in many texts so you are correct! There is always confusion with the Great Silver divng beetle - only one species of this. The confusion this time was in my mind!!! There are six Dytiscus 'grea' diving beetles but only one G. Silver....
Cheers
Jon | Cheers for that John.  |
31-08-2007, 09:17 PM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 29
| | | Re: Diving Beetle
just out of curiosity how big are these beetles?
it looks quite big in the pic |
01-09-2007, 12:04 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Small North Lincolnshire village
Posts: 9,662
| | | Re: Diving Beetle
Quote:
Originally Posted by dragon fly just out of curiosity how big are these beetles?
it looks quite big in the pic | The body on this one was around the size of a ten pence piece, so yes I would have called it a fairly big beetle
Roger |
01-09-2007, 01:23 PM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 29
| | | Re: Diving Beetle
WOW that is some size
to my untrained eyes i would passed it off for a cockroach |
10-10-2007, 06:45 PM
|  | New Member | | Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 11
| | | Re: Diving Beetle
Roger,
The Great Diving Beetle in the pictures is a female Dytiscus marginalis. A total of six species of Dytiscus are found in the UK, with D. marginalis being the most common and widespread. You can identify that is a female because it has no sucker like claspers on its forelimbs. Also females almost always differ from males, with the exception of Dytiscus circumcinctus, by having strong grooves on their elytra (wingcase).
Identification of Great Diving Beetles can be done in the field due to their large size (22-38mm) along with the features that can be used to separate them. Incidentally, the size range for D. marginalis is 26-32mm.
Hope this helps.
Drew.
P.S. Great pictures! They were ideal to provide an ID. | | | |
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