Hydrochidae

Number of species
7
Size Range
2-4mm
Tarsal formula
4-4-4
5-5-5

Images:

  • Hydrochus crenatus
Description

One British genus, Hydrochus, containing 7 species of crawling aquatic beetles.  Generally sluggish, they play dead when disturbed and are correspondingly difficult to find in the field.  Adults are elongate, with heavily-pitted elytra and pronotum, and are most often found in plant litter in well-vegetated ponds and bogs.