Great diving beetle (Dytiscus marginalis)
Great diving beetles are one of the UK's largest beetles and they are fierce predators. As their name suggests they spend most of their lives underwater. However they can also fly and do so when travelling to colonise new freshwater habitats.
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Underwater wasps
Life in the Undergrowth
Fairy wasps swim and dive underwater to find prey.
Fairy wasps are aquatic and spend much of their life underwater. Their larvae are parasitic, so the adults lay them in the eggs of water beetles.
Beetle larvae
Realms of the Russian Bear
Dangerous predators lurk in the shallow water.
Dangerous predators lurk in the shallow water.
Featured in the following TV programmes
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Archived
Life in the Undergrowth: INTIMATE RELATIONS
Ever since they came onto land, the tiny creatures of the undergrowth have been forming alliances and partnerships with each other and with plants.
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Archived
Realms of the Russian Bear: Green Jewel of the Caspian
This episode shows the verdant beauty of the wetlands surrounding the Caspian Sea.
About the Great diving beetle
The great diving beetle, Dytiscus marginalis, is a large aquatic diving beetle native to Europe and northern Asia, and is particularly common in England. The great diving beetle, true to its name, is a rather sizable insect. The larvae can grow up to 60 mm in length, while the adults are generally between 27-35 mm.
These beetles live in fresh water, either still or slow-running, and seem to prefer water with vegetation. They are dark-coloured (brown to black) on their back and wing cases (elytra) and yellow on their abdomen and legs. The male's wing cases are shiny, while those of the female are finely grooved. A voracious predator, this beetle hunts a wide variety of prey, including other insects, tadpoles, and small fish.
They are able fliers, usually at night, when they use the reflection of moonlight to locate new water sources, this location method can sometimes cause them to land on wet roads or other hard wet surfaces.
Before they dive, they collect air bubbles in their wing cases which goes through the spiracles. The jaws of a great diving beetle are strong compared to their body size.
Illustrated and described in detail as Plate 99, British Entomology by John Curtis (entomologist) (published London, 1814-39) labelled "Dyticus dimidiatus"
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Scientific Classification
Phylum: Arthropod (Arthropoda)
Family: Dytiscidae
Genus: Dytiscus
Species: Great diving beetle (marginalis)
The Great diving beetle is
Adaptation data provided by Animal Diversity Web
Where can I see them?
They can be found in the following habitats:
Elsewhere on the web
- Animal Diversity Web (animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu)
- ARKive: Images of Life on Earth (arkive.org)
- Encyclopedia of Life: Great diving beetle (eol.org)
- Norfolk Wildlife Trust: fact file (norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk)
- Natural England: fact file (plantpress.com)
- Great diving beetle (wikipedia.org)
Site links
BBC links
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