Hydrochidae

Common name:

Number of species:

7

Size Range:

2-4mm

Tarsi:

4-4-4, 5-5-5.

Images:

  • Hydrochus crenatus

Description: 

One British genus, Hydrochus, containing 7 species of crawling aquatic beetles.  Generally sluggish, they play dead when disturbed and are correspondingly difficult to find in the field.  Adults are elongate, with heavily-pitted elytra and pronotum, and are most often found in plant litter in well-vegetated ponds and bogs.