Dryopidae
Common name:
Long-toed water beetlesNumber of species:
9Size Range:
3-4mmTarsi:
5-5-5.Images:
Description:
Represented in Britain by 9 species, all 3-6mm long. Most occur in semi-aquatic habitats, particularly wet mud, and only one species is fully aquatic: Pomatinus substriatus (Müller), which is found in deep streams. Dark in colour, oval to elongate and with prominent tarsal claws, they can appear similar to Elmidae but have short antennae with a pectinate club, rather than that family’s long threadlike appendages.