Noteridae is a
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
of
adephagan water beetle
A water beetle is a generalized name for any beetle that is adapted to living in water at any point in its life cycle. Most water beetles can only live in fresh water, with a few marine species that live in the intertidal zone or littoral zone. Th ...
s closely related to the
Dytiscidae
The Dytiscidae – based on the Greek ''dytikos'' (δυτικός), "able to dive" – are the predaceous diving beetles, a family of water beetles. They occur in virtually any freshwater habitat around the world, but a few species live ...
, and formerly classified with them. They are mainly distinguished by the presence of a distinctive "noterid platform" underneath, in the form of a plate between the second and third pair of legs. The family consists of about 230 species in 14 genera, and is found worldwide, more commonly in the tropics. They are sometimes referred to as burrowing water beetles.
These beetles are relatively small, ranging from 1 to 6 mm, with smooth oval bodies ranging from light brown to a darker reddish brown. The head is short and somewhat covered by the
prothorax
The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum ( dorsal), the prosternum ( ventral), and the propleuron ( lateral) o ...
.
Both adults and larvae are aquatic, and are commonly found around plants. They have a habit of burrowing through pond and marsh substrate, thus the common name, and are primarily carnivorous, with some scavenging observed.
Genera
Noteridae contains the following genera:
* ''
Canthydrus''
Sharp, 1882
* ''
Hydrocanthus''
Say, 1823
* ''
Mesonoterus''
Sharp, 1882
* ''
Neohydrocoptus''
Satô, 1972
* ''
Noterus''
Clairville, 1806
* ''
Notomicrus''
Sharp, 1882
* ''
Phreatodytes''
Uéno, 1957
* ''
Pronoterus''
Sharp, 1882
* ''
Renotus''
Guignot, 1936
* ''
Siolius''
J.Balfour-Browne, 1969
* ''
Speonoterus''
Spangler, 1996
* ''
Suphis''
Aubé, 1836
* ''
Suphisellus''
Crotch, 1873
* ''
Synchortus''
Sharp, 1882
References
* Nilsson, Anders N. (2006).
A World Catalogue of the Family Noteridae, or the Burrowing Water Beetles (Coleoptera, Adephaga). University of Umea, Sweden. Retrieved on 10 May 2012.
*
R. E. Roughley, "Noteridae", in
Ross H. Arnett, Jr.
Ross Harold Arnett Jr. (April 13, 1919 – July 16, 1999) was an American entomologist noted for his studies of beetles, and as founder of the ''Coleopterist's Bulletin''.
Born in Medina, New York, he was a star student at Cornell University, wher ...
and
Michael C. Thomas, ''
American Beetles'' (CRC Press, 2001), vol. 1
External links
Noterid info at UIUC
{{Taxonbar, from=Q639601
Beetle families