Hydraenidae is a family of very small
aquatic beetle
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...
s, sometimes called "Minute moss beetles", with a worldwide distribution. They are around 0.8 to 3.3 mm in length. The adults store air on the underside of the body as well as beneath the
elytra
An elytron (; ; , ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometimes alterna ...
which allows them to crawl underwater, often on the underside of the water surface tension, though they cannot swim. Some species have gills that effectively allow them to stay underwater indefinitely. Larvae vary from being fully terrestrial, to being aquatic at least in their earliest
instars
An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'', "form", "likeness") is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each moult (''ecdysis''), until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or as ...
. The diet of hydraenid larvae and adults is thought to consist of algae, spores and other plant matter. At least some hydraenid adults use
stridulation
Stridulation is the act of producing sound by rubbing together certain body parts. This behavior is mostly associated with insects, but other animals are known to do this as well, such as a number of species of fish, snakes and spiders. The mech ...
to communicate. There are around 1,300 species in 42 genera.
[Jäch, Manfred A., Beutel, Rolf G., Delgado, Juan A. and Díaz, Juan A.. "Hydraenidae Mulsant, 1844: Coleoptera, Beetles". ''Handbook of Zoology Online'', edited by Andreas Schmidt-Rhaesa. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2016. Accessed 2022-10-02.]
Genera
These 56 genera belong to the family Hydraenidae:
[
* '' Adelphydraena'' Perkins, 1989
* '' Archaeodraena'' Jäch & Yamamoto, 2017
* '' Aulacochthebius'' Kuwert, 1887
* '' Calobius'' Wollaston, 1854
* '' Cobalius'' Rey, 1886
* '' Coelometopon'' Janssens, 1972
* '' Davidraena'' Jäch, 1994
* '' Decarthrocerus'' Orchymont, 1948
* '' Discozantaena'' Perkins & Balfour-Browne, 1994
* '' Edaphobates'' Jäch & Díaz, 2003-01
* '' Enicocerus'' Stephens, 1829
* '' Ginkgoscia'' Jäch & Díaz, 2004-01
* '' Gondraena'' Jäch, 1994
* '' Gymnanthelius'' Perkins, 1997
* '' Gymnochthebius'' Orchymont, 1943
* '' Haptaenida'' Perkins, 1997
* '' Heptaenida'' Perkins, 1997
* '' Homalaena'' Ordish, 1984
* '' Hughleechia'' Perkins, 1981
* '' Hydraena'' Kugelann, 1794
* '' Hydraenida'' Germain, 1901
* '' Hydroenida'' Germain, 1901
* '' Hymenodes'' Mulsant, 1844
* '' Laeliaena'' Sahlberg, 1900
* '' Limnebius'' Leach, 1815
* '' Madagaster'' Perkins, 1997
* '' Menomadraena'' Perkins, 2017
* '' Meropathus'' Enderlein, 1901
* '' Micragasma'' Sahlberg, 1900
* '' Neochthebius'' Orchymont, 1932
* '' Nucleotops'' Perkins & Balfour-Browne, 1994
* '' Ochtebiites'' Ponomarenko, 1977
* '' Ochthebius'' Leach, 1815
* '' Ochtheosus'' Perkins, 1997
* '' Oomtelecopon'' Perkins, 2005
* '' Orchymontia'' Broun, 1919
* '' Parasthetops'' Perkins & Balfour-Browne, 1994-31
* '' Parhydraena'' Orchymont, 1937
* '' Parhydraenopsis'' Perkins, 2009-16
* '' Phothydraena'' Kuwert, 1888
* '' Pneuminion'' Perkins, 1997
* '' Podaena'' Ordish, 1984
* '' Prionochthebius'' Kuwert, 1887
* '' Prosthetops'' Waterhouse, 1879
* '' Protochthebius'' Perkins, 1997
* '' Protosthetops'' Perkins, 1994
* '' Protozantaena'' Perkins, 1997
* '' Pterosthetops'' Perkins, 1994
* '' Sebasthetops'' Jäch, 1998-01
* '' Sicilicula'' Balfour-Browne, 1958
* '' Spanglerina'' Perkins, 1980
* '' Trinomadraena'' Perkins, 2017
* '' Tympallopatrum'' Perkins, 1997
* '' Mesoceration'' Janssens, 1967
* '' Parhydraenida'' Balfour-Browne, 1975
* '' Tympanogaster'' Janssens, 1967
]
Extinct genera
* †'' Archaeodraena'' Jäch and Yamamoto 2017, Burmese amber
Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. The ...
, Myanmar, Late Cretaceous ( Cenomanian)
* †'' Ochtebiites'' Ponomarenko 1977 Abasheva Formation, Russia, Early Jurassic (Pliensbachian
The Pliensbachian is an age of the geologic timescale and stage in the stratigraphic column. It is part of the Early or Lower Jurassic Epoch or Series and spans the time between 190.8 ± 1.5 Ma and 182.7 ± 1.5 Ma (million years ago). The Pl ...
), Ichetuy Formation, Russia, Karabastau Formation
The Karabastau Formation ( kk, Qarabastaý svıtasy) is a geological formation and lagerstätte in the Karatau Mountains of southern Kazakhstan whose strata date to the Middle to Late Jurassic. It is an important locality for insect fossils that ...
, Kazakhstan, Late Jurassic ( Oxfordian), Mogotuin Formation, Mongolia, Early Cretaceous (Aptian
The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous Epoch or Series and encompasses the time from 121.4 ± 1.0 Ma to 113.0 ± 1.0 Ma (million years ago) ...
)
References
External links
*
Hydraenidae
''Identification and Ecology of Australian Freshwater Invertebrates''.
Hydraenidae at Tolweb
Staphylinoidea
Beetle families
{{Staphylinoidea-stub