Can a whirligig beetle fly?

Can a whirligig beetle fly?

Whirligig beetles occur in many types of aquatic habitats, including ponds, lakes and streams. They can swim almost as effortlessly underwater as they do on the surface, making them difficult to catch. Their wings are well developed, so whirligigs can fly to a new home if their pond or stream should dry up.

Do whirligig beetles bite?

Fortunately, unlike Backswimmers (Family Notonectidae), which can also appear in swimming pools, Whirligig Beetles do not bite humans and are not at all aggressive towards them, although these agile swimmers can be difficult to capture.

What is a whirligig beetle?

The whirligig beetles are a family (Gyrinidae) of water beetles that usually swim on the surface of the water if undisturbed, though they swim underwater when threatened. The family includes some 700 extant species worldwide, in 15 genera, plus a few fossil species.

Where is the whirligig beetle found?

Habitat: Streams, rivers, ponds and lakes.

How big is a whirligig beetle?

Description: Whirligig beetles are black, or nearly black, and 1/8 to 1-3/8 inches (3 to 35 mm) long. They are flattened dorsoventrally and streamlined for aquatic life. The eyes are divided allowing them to see both above and below the water surface where they are usually found.

How does a whirligig beetle breath?

They breathe using ten pairs of lateral tracheal gills, and swim using these densely fringed gills and dorsoventral movements of their abdomen2. An adult beetle belonging to Gyrinidae is elongate-oval in shape, from about 3 to 15 mm long.

How many eyes does a whirligig beetle have?

four
Adult whirligig beetles are aquatic insects living on the water surface. They are equipped with four compound eyes, an upper (aerial) pair viewing above the water surface and a lower (aquatic) pair viewing beneath the water surface.

Why do whirligig beetles swim in circles?

They may dive (or swim in circles) when alarmed, and they can secrete a smelly substance (gyrinidal) that deters predators—a fish that has sampled a whirligig beetle doesn’t try a second one—and also warns nearby whirligigs that danger is afoot.

How long do whirligig beetles live?

Water scavenger beetles undergo complete metamorphosis. Their life cycle includes four stages – egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species produce one generation per year. Some live up to 2 – 3 years as adults.