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Keyword: Water | | | Seite 1 von 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 | | | |
Water scavenger beetles reach body lengths of 4-9 mm. Their bodies are oval-shaped, with a very flat underside. They have a slightly metallic sheen, are deep black in colour and shimmer slightly bronze when seen in light.
Adults have short, club-shap...
...ary palpi like the antennae often have dark ends. On the wing covers (elytra) are 10 stripes of fine, puncture-like points. These stripes, which are lengthwise and become furrow shaped at the rear end, are the main distinguishing feature of the water scavenger beetle. Additional rows from irregular posited series of points appear in the space between the rows from regular posited points. The legs of the beetle are yellowish, yellow-brown or rust-colored. The tarsi appear reddish brown to dark b...
...appear in the space between the rows from regular posited points. The legs of the beetle are yellowish, yellow-brown or rust-colored. The tarsi appear reddish brown to dark brown in colour.
The hind legs have long hairs that aid in swimming. The water scavenger beetle prefers to live in and on smaller bodies of waters with sufficient sunlight. They are often found (as adults or larvae) floating on the surface of salt water or brackish water (mixture of river and sea water). The adults eat rotten plant debris. They surface for air head first and trap air to breath under their wing covers (elytra) and "row" themselves along by alternating the hind legs, wiggling from side to side as they swim. Their eye...
...nating the hind legs, wiggling from side to side as they swim. Their eyesight is not very developed. Therefore, it is possible for the beetles to land on? reflective surfaces (wet or shiny car roofs, windows, etc.) having confused them with open waters.
After mating, the oviposition of the females happens in cocoons near the surface of water where the eggs are glued to water plants. Approximately 8-10 days later the larvae (with body lengths of 3-4 mm) hatch. They increase rapidly in size . The larvae feed (starting at the lastest three days after hatching) ) on smaller aquatic animals, and are even prone to cannibali...
.... Approximately 8-10 days later the larvae (with body lengths of 3-4 mm) hatch. They increase rapidly in size . The larvae feed (starting at the lastest three days after hatching) ) on smaller aquatic animals, and are even prone to cannibalism. In water they catch floating prey with their clamp-like mouthparts (mandibles), hold them tight and swim with the living prey intact to the water’s edge. Having found a good landing point, they put their abdomen on the solid ground and move themselves backwards with tracking the prey over the shore. They crush them with their mandibles. The exoskeleton of the prey gets covered over and over a...
...ey gets covered over and over again with intestinal secretions. The prey is then kneaded into a pulpy mass which can be sucked up by the larvae. This takes 2-3 minutes. Finally the larva leaves the emptied skeleton and creeps forward back into the water. Cannibalism can become so prevalent among the larvae that they prefer to eat each other than to attack other insects. | | |
| | The females possess special glands to produce fibres which they use to build cocoons under water. Air is kept in these cocoons for the larvae to breathe. Water scavenger beetles feed on plants and rotting substances. Their larvae mostly live predatorily at the bottom of water bodies. Water scavenger beetles are very useful because they purify the water. | | |
| | | The larvae develop under water and overwinter there in their final stage of development. During the first three weeks after hatching from their eggs they leave the place where they were born and explore the surroundings of the water’s edges. They then go back into the water. In the following spring they finally leave the water via outstanding plant stems. They free themselves from their larval casing ( exuvia) while hanging from the plant and after their wings have dried, fly away as young dragonflies. | | |
| | The females lay their eggs in muddy, often heavily polluted, stagnant water (for example, cesspools, septic tanks or clarifiers). The larvae hatch after a few days. The larvae breathe through a "snorkel", which is attached to the tip of the abdomen and runs up to the surface of the water, hence the name rat-tailed maggots. The larvae can reach lengths of 20 mm and feed on putrid sludge and dead organic matter, which they filter from the water. They make an important contribution to water clarification. | | |
| | After mating, the fertilized females lay their eggs in stagnant water which is often very muddy. Here, the oxygen content of the water plays a decisive role, as egg-laying can even take place in cesspools. From these eggs the so-called "rat-tailed maggots" hatch – larvae with a long breathing tube attached to the abdomen that extends up to the surface of the water. The larvae feed on decaying organic matter and thus make an important contribution to water clarification. | | |
| | ... blood. The tropical Sand flies are known to tranmsit diseases. As moth flies are not good flyers , their move often is completed by the wind, but with very good control.
The females often lay their eggs (individually or as a clutch) close to water. The Psychoda phalaenoides prefer to lay their eggs near faeces or urine. The larvae are slender and have a body length of up to 4 mm. They have a very distinctive head shape. The larvae of Moth flies live in a variety of habitats such as water, forest soil, moss, fungi or in heavily polluted water (i.e. drains, sewage treatment plants).
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| | Almost all spiders are land animals. They often hide during the day and are only active at dawn or at night. The water spider is the only genus which lives in water. A number of species hunt on the water surface.
Birds pose the biggest threat to spiders. However amphibians, reptiles and bats also eat spiders. Some spider species feed exclusively on other spiders. Other natural enemies are: wasps, ants, true dragonflies, small-headed flies, Nemat... | | |
| They breathe in the water using a special tissue in their rectum. When the larvae are fully developed some time in June, they creep out of the water along a plant stem and shed their outer skin (excuvia). When their wings have dried, they fly off as adult dragonflies. The southern hawker seems to have no fear of humans. Birds pose the biggest threat as they prey on the larvae when they are o...
...and shed their outer skin (excuvia). When their wings have dried, they fly off as adult dragonflies. The southern hawker seems to have no fear of humans. Birds pose the biggest threat as they prey on the larvae when they are on their way into the water and especially like to attack the juvenile dragonflies when they have just hatched from the excuvia. | | |
| | Almost all spiders are land animals. They often remain hidden during the day and are active only at dusk or at night. The water spider is the only spider that lives in water. A number of species hunt on the water. | | |
| | Adults are often found near water. The males have feathery antennae. The abdomen of the females is almost completely covered by their wings. The larvae of Chaoborus crystallinus are transparent (glass rods larvae) and horizontally live in water. They breathe through their body surface. In the 7th abdominal segment, are hollow sacs filled with air which keep the larvae suspended. These sacs can be filled with air or water to allow the larvae to rise or fall as required. | | |
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