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Heterelmis Comalensis
''Heterelmis comalensis'' is a rare species of beetle known by the common name Comal Springs riffle beetle. It is endemic to Texas in the United States, where it occurs in only two springs. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States. Description This beetle was described as a new species in 1988. It is about long. It has nonfunctional wings and cannot fly. Habitat and conservation The beetle lives in Comal Springs in Comal County and San Marcos Springs in Hays County, Texas. It occurs in shallow water in the gravel substrate and in riffles. It lives alongside other species such as the beetle '' Microcylloepus pusillus''. The main threat to this rare species is the slow loss of the Edwards Aquifer, which has long been tapped for its water. The aquifer feeds the springs in which the beetle lives. Some specimens are kept in captivity at the San Marcos National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center, and some larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harley Brown
Harley Procter Brown Jr. (January 13, 1921 – June 6, 2008) was an American biologist and an expert in certain types of aquatic beetles. He described over forty new species in his career. Background and education He was born in Uniontown, Alabama and showed an early interest in insects. He received undergraduate and graduate degrees (1942) from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. His thesis involved the lifecycle of the species '' Climacia areolaris'' of the family Sisyridae. He received a PhD from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio in 1945. His dissertation studied the flagellum of the protozoan with the electron microscope. Academic career Brown taught at the following institutions: *University of Idaho (Moscow), 1945–1947 * Oregon Institute of Marine Biology ( Charleston), 1946 *Queens College (Flushing, New York), 1947–1948 *University of Oklahoma (Norman), 1948–1984 Taxa described by Brown Taxa described by Brown include: *''Dryopidae'' **'' Elmoparnus mexica ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gravel
Gravel () is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally on Earth as a result of sedimentation, sedimentary and erosion, erosive geological processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classified by grain size, particle size range and includes size classes from granule (geology), granule- to boulder-sized fragments. In the grain size, Udden-Wentworth scale gravel is categorized into granular gravel () and pebble gravel (). ISO 14688 grades gravels as fine, medium, and coarse, with ranges for fine and for coarse. One cubic metre of gravel typically weighs about , or one cubic yard weighs about . Gravel is an important commercial product, with a number of applications. Almost half of all gravel production is used as construction aggregate, aggregate for concrete. Much of the rest is used for road construction, either in the road base or as the road surface (with or without bitumen, asphalt or other binders.) Natu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemic Fauna Of Texas
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or, in scientific literature, as an ''endemite''. Similarly, many species found in the Western ghats of India are examples of endemism. Endemism is an important concept in conservation biology for measuring biodiversity in a particular place and evaluating the risk of extinction for species. Endemism is also of interest in evolutionary biology, because it provides clues about how changes in the environment cause species to undergo range shifts (potentially expanding their range into a larger area or becomin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Byrrhoidea
Byrrhoidea is a superfamily of beetles belonging to Elateriformia that includes several families which are either aquatic or associated with a semi-aquatic habitat. Other than the superfamily Hydrophiloidea, most of the remaining Polyphagan beetles which are aquatic are in this superfamily. Description Adults of many Byrrhoidea have exocone eyes (with expanded corneal lens). The anterior edge of the scutellar shield is often abruptly elevated (except in Psephenidae and Cneoglossidae). A variety of byrrhoids have the first three abdominal ventrites solidly fused together. Larvae of most Limnichidae have one pair of anal hooks on the tenth abdominal segment, while Cneoglossidae and Ptilodactylidae have three or more hooks on each side of this segment. Larvae of Lutrochidae and Elmidae, as well as the limnichid genus ''Hyphalus'', have anal gill tufts. Almost all byrrhoid larvae have anterior abdominal spiracles that are biforous (or bilabiate) in shape. The degree of wing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Larva
A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. A larva's appearance is generally very different from the adult form (''e.g.'' caterpillars and butterflies) including different unique structures and organs that do not occur in the adult form. Their diet may also be considerably different. In the case of smaller primitive arachnids, the larval stage differs by having three instead of four pairs of legs. Larvae are frequently adapted to different environments than adults. For example, some larvae such as tadpoles live almost exclusively in aquatic environments but can live outside water as adult frogs. By living in a distinct environment, larvae may be given shelter from predators and reduce competition for resources with the adult population. Animals in the lar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aquifer
An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing material, consisting of permeability (Earth sciences), permeable or fractured rock, or of unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Aquifers vary greatly in their characteristics. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called ''hydrogeology''. Related concepts include aquitard, a bed (geology), bed of low permeability along an aquifer, and aquiclude (or ''aquifuge''), a solid and impermeable region underlying or overlying an aquifer, the pressure of which could lead to the formation of a confined aquifer. Aquifers can be classified as saturated versus unsaturated; aquifers versus aquitards; confined versus unconfined; isotropic versus anisotropic; porous, karst, or fractured; and transboundary aquifer. Groundwater from aquifers can be sustainably harvested by humans through the use of qanats leading to a well. This groundwater is a major source of fresh water for many regions, althoug ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edwards Aquifer
The Edwards Aquifer is one of the most prolific artesian aquifers in the world. Located on the eastern edge of the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas, it is the source of drinking water for two million people, and is the primary water supply for agriculture and industry in the aquifer's region. Additionally, the Edwards Aquifer feeds the Comal River, Comal and San Marcos Springs, provides springflow for recreational and downstream uses in the Nueces River, Nueces, San Antonio River, San Antonio, Guadalupe River (Texas), Guadalupe, and San Marcos River, San Marcos river basins, and is home to several unique and endangered species. Basin characteristics Geography Located in South Central Texas, the Edwards Aquifer encompasses an area of approximately that extends into parts of 11 counties. The aquifer's boundaries begin at the groundwater divide in Kinney County, East of Brackettville, and extend Eastward through the San Antonio area and then Northeast where the aquif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Microcylloepus Pusillus
''Microcylloepus pusillus'' is a species of riffle beetle in the family Elmidae Elmidae, commonly known as riffle beetles, is a family of beetles in the superfamily Byrrhoidea described by John Curtis in 1830. Both adults and larvae are usually aquatic, living under rocks in fast-flowing shallow areas of streams, such as .... It is found in North America. Subspecies These six subspecies belong to the species ''Microcylloepus pusillus'': * ''Microcylloepus pusillus aptus'' (Musgrave, 1933) * ''Microcylloepus pusillus foveatus'' (LeConte, 1874) * ''Microcylloepus pusillus loedingi'' (Musgrave, 1933) * ''Microcylloepus pusillus perditus'' (Musgrave, 1933) * ''Microcylloepus pusillus pusillus'' (LeConte, 1852) * ''Microcylloepus pusillus similis'' (Horn, 1870) References Further reading * * Elmidae Articles created by Qbugbot Beetles described in 1852 Beetles of North America Taxa named by John Lawrence LeConte {{Elateriformia-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Riffle
A riffle is a shallow landform in a flowing channel. Colloquially, it is a shallow place in a river where water flows quickly past rocks. However, in geology a riffle has specific characteristics. Topographic, sedimentary and hydraulic indicators Riffles are almost always found to have a very low discharge compared to the flow that fills the channel (approximately 10–20%), and as a result the water moving over a riffle appears shallow and fast, with a wavy, disturbed water surface. The water's surface over a riffle at low flow also has a much steeper slope than that over other in-channel landforms. Channel sections with a mean water surface slope of roughly 0.1 to 0.5% exhibit riffles, though they can occur in steeper or gentler sloping channels with coarser or finer bed materials, respectively. Except in the period after a flood (when fresh material is deposited on a riffle), the sediment on the riverbed in a riffle is usually much coarser than on that in any other in-chan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hays County, Texas
Hays County is a county in the central portion of the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, its official population had reached 241,067. The county seat is San Marcos. Hays, along with Comal and Kendall Counties, was listed in 2017 as one of the nation's fastest-growing counties with a population of at least 10,000. From 2015 to 2016, Hays County, third on the national list, had nearly 10,000 new residents during the year. The county is named for John Coffee Hays, a Texas Ranger and Mexican–American War officer who fought the Texas- Comanche wars of the 1800s. History Hays County has been inhabited for thousands of years. Evidence of Paleo-Indians found in the region goes as far back as 6000 BC. Archeological evidence of native agriculture goes back to 1200 AD. The earliest Europeans to arrive in the area were explorers and missionaries from the Spanish Empire. Father Isidro Félix de Espinosa, Father A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beetle
Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 described species, is the largest of all orders, constituting almost 40% of described arthropods and 25% of all known animal species; new species are discovered frequently, with estimates suggesting that there are between 0.9 and 2.1 million total species. However, the number of beetle species is challenged by the number of species in Fly, dipterans (flies) and hymenopterans (wasps). Found in almost every habitat except the sea and the polar regions, they interact with their ecosystems in several ways: beetles often feed on plants and fungi, break down animal and plant debris, and eat other invertebrates. Some species are serious agricultural pests, such as the Colorado potato beetle, while others such as Coccinellidae (ladybirds or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
San Marcos Springs
San Marcos Springs is the second largest natural cluster of springs in Texas. The springs are located in the city of San Marcos, Texas, about 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Austin and 46 miles (74 km) northeast of San Antonio. Although Spring Lake is highly protected, it is accessible to visitors through the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, a program of Texas State University, which offers glass-bottom boat tours among other opportunities to explore and learn about the ecosystem. Geology The San Marcos Springs is an area of artesian outflow from the Edwards Aquifer along the Balcones Escarpment. More than 200 springs flow from three large fissures and other smaller openings in the rock. The springs provide most of the water for the San Marcos River, which flows southward from the springs' location. The springs have never been known to stop flowing. The average flow is 152 ft³/s (4,300 liters/s); the lowest recorded flow of 46 ft³/s (1, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
