Lutrochidae 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
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. T ...
s with a single genus ''Lutrochus'' sometimes known as "travertine beetles". There are around 21 species native to the Americas from the southern United States to Brazil.
They are distinguished by their ovate bodies, 2–6 mm long and yellowish in color, and short
antennae in which the first two
antennomere
Antennae ( antenna), sometimes referred to as "feelers", are paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods.
Antennae are connected to the first one or two segments of the arthropod head. They vary widely in form but are always made of one o ...
s are longer than the others. The larvae are elongate, 4–10 mm in length, with short but well-developed legs.
William D. Shepard
William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...
, "Lutrochidae", in Ross H. Arnett, Jr. and Michael C. Thomas
Michael Charles Thomas (May 5, 1948 – October 14, 2019) was an American entomologist who co-authored the book series ''American Beetles''.
Born in Miami, Florida, Thomas graduated from the University of South Florida in 1970 with a Bachelor o ...
, ''American Beetles
''American Beetles'' is the single most comprehensive description of the beetles of North America north of the tropical area of Mexico. It was started by Ross H. Arnett, Jr. as an update of his classic ''The Beetles of the United States''; alon ...
'' (CRC Press, 2002), vol. 2
The adults have a bubble of air held in place by hairs.
[Ide, Sergio, Costa, Cleide and Vanin, Sergio Antonio. "Lutrochidae Kasap & Crowson, 1975: Coleoptera, Beetles". ''Handbook of Zoology Online'', edited by Andreas Schmidt-Rhaesa. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2016.]
The adults and larvae are associated with submerged old and rotting wood found in shallow, fast flowing streams.
References
External links
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Byrrhoidea
Beetle genera
{{Byrrhoidea-stub