Aquatic Beetle larva

Tiggrx · #1 (**permalink**) 15-06-2006, 12:37 PM

Found some of these little guys living amongst duckweed roots in my garden pond. I assume they are beetle larva of some sort - but can't find any that have antennae this long. They did not seem to be very good swimmers - floundering about if moved away from the vegetation into open water.
Any ideas what they are going to grow into?

JM · #2 (**permalink**) 15-06-2006, 01:58 PM

Hi Tiggrx,
Not sure on the first, but the second looks like Acellus Aquaticus, (a type of aquatic woodlouse)

ollyk · #3 (**permalink**) 15-06-2006, 03:56 PM

Would that be a water slater by any chance?

Tiggrx · #4 (**permalink**) 15-06-2006, 05:13 PM

Actually they are both exactly the same animal, slightly different views. I am quite familiar with Water Slaters (Asellus) as there are 1000's of them in the pond and this definitely wasn't one.