The big water lover is a bug that flies better than it swims.

Beetles make up the largest group among the living creatures of our planet. They live on land and in water, the size and shape of the body is diverse. The second name of the insect is coleoptera. Their front pair of wings was transformed into solid elytra, and the rear pair is used for flights. One of the families of beetles that live in water is called water-bearers. Its largest representative is a large or black hydrophobia. The insect up to 5 cm in size is the largest bug in the European part of Russia.

Appearance

The large black hydrophilic (Hydroohiluspiceus) belongs to the order of the winged winged family, the hydrophilic family. One of the largest insects in the aquatic environment reaches 28–50 mm in length and 15–20 mm in width. The body is oval, convex. The color is black with a greenish-brown tint. There are orange spots on the sides of the abdomen. Hard elytra covered with grooves. The head is large, completely covered with a single capsule. The eyes are large, the antennae consist of 9 segments. Red antennas end with an asymmetric mace.

The hind tarsi have long swimming setae. On the forelimbs, the extreme segment has been modified to a triangular plate. On the hind legs there are sharp spikes that can injure the skin. On the abdomen, under the cover of the elytra, there are 6 pairs of spiracles.

Information. Bugs need air to breathe. They float above the water and expose their heads with antennae, but with it the air descends to the abdomen.

Behavior features

It’s hard to call a water beetle beetle a good swimmer. He slowly cycles through the middle and hind limbs. Asynchronous movements quickly tire the beetle, it prefers to stay in shallow water and crawl along the bottom. The main diet of adults is aquatic plants and various algae. On occasion, the insect does not refuse protein food, for example, a corpse of fish.

Water enthusiasts have many enemies, for protection they developed two interesting ways:

1. Gruel with a pungent unpleasant odor.
2. It makes a frightening creak, rubbing its abdomen against hard elytra.

Interesting fact. The black lover flies well; he likes to spread his wings on moonlit nights.

Breathing features

The process of inhalation of atmospheric air by a beetle deserves special attention. Insects expose articulated antennae above the water, bending them in a special way. Between the hairs, air accumulates. On the antennae, it flows down to the side of the abdomen, studded with small silky hairs. Air bubbles are inhaled through the chest spiracles. The beetle swims until it runs out of oxygen.

Spread

The homeland of water lovers is the Palearctic. Beetles can be found in most of Europe, the Caucasus, Central and Central Asia, Scandinavia, China, the Mediterranean, and southern Siberia. The insect selects ponds with standing, well-warmed water.

Breeding

The period of mating and breeding of hydrophores is spring. The female for masonry builds an unusual cocoon. Before making it, she finds a suitable dense leaf of an aquatic plant. Silver threads secreted from the female abdomen are attached to its underside. In the form of her own body, she begins to create a bag, interlacing the fibers with each other.Having completed the external frame, the female changes the position of the body and begins to increase the thickness of the walls from the inside. The final step is to cover the bag with a special sticky liquid that makes it waterproof.

Having prepared the place, the female proceeds to masonry. Her white oblong eggs are laid in rows in a cocoon. All of them turn out 40-50 pieces. On top of the masonry is filled with a secret, which after hardening resembles cotton wool. Next, the lid and the process extending to the surface are completed. The outlet serves as a float and ventilation. Building a cradle for offspring takes 2-3 hours. Larvae bounce off after two weeks, but do not immediately seek to leave a safe haven. They spend some time in a cocoon, eating its contents.

Information. If the shoot for ventilation breaks, the eggs die.

The larvae have a thick body and short legs. They are omnivorous, but prefer live prey. Larvae prey on invertebrates, fry, and tadpoles. They attack from an ambush, having caught prey, they rise to the surface. Food is eaten in the air, while the larva has to throw its head back. She does not have salivary glands, therefore, to soften food, it is poured with gastric juice. A larva of the last age is selected from a reservoir and pupates in the soil near it.

A young water-beetle big beetle digs up in late summer. His path lies to the water. The development of an insect from an egg to an adult takes about three months. If a shallow pond dries up, the beetles go in search of a new home.

Related view - small hydrophobia

Among beetles of the Hydrophilidae family, not all species can boast large sizes. Small hydrophobia - a small insect 13-18 mm long. The body of the insect is convex, the main color is black, but there is a greenish tint. Elytra with rows of dots. Jaw palps are long, monotonously painted in dark color. There are few swimming hairs on the limbs. Beetles choose small ponds with rich vegetation. Preference is given to small ponds with a muddy bottom. Adults are vegetarians, and larvae emerging from a cocoon are carnivores. The offspring of the small hydrophobia are characterized by hairy outgrowths on the sides of each body segment.

Information. To move into water bodies, the habitable beetle uses wings.

Aquarium Maintenance

Black water lovers are pretty peaceful beetles. They are kept in aquariums with fish. They actively eat algae, providing service to the owner, cleaning the aquarium. In the absence of algae, insects eat fish food (bloodworms), slices of salad or white bread. The capacity must be covered, otherwise the bugs will fly away.