DYTISCIDAE - PREDACIOUS DIVING BEETLES
Large, usually dark-coloured aquatic beetles often with yellow highlights. Larvae are predacious, waiting patiently on strands of water weeds and lunging at passing prey with their powerful front legs and biting with their mandibles to kill.They are crescent-shaped with a long tail covered in tiny hairs and sturdy legs. Larvae crawl from the water when ready to metamorphose into adults, burying themselves in mud until they are ready to emerge.
Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law. Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay. Photographs on this web-site were taken by Paul Smith, Hemme Batjes, Regis Nossent,
Alberto Esquivel, Arne Lesterhuis, Rebbeca Zarza, José Luis Cartes and Hugo del Castillo and are used with their permission.
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FIGURE 1 - Megadytes latus - PN Tte Enciso, Departamento Boquerón (Paul Smith June 2006).
FIGURE 2 - Unidentified sp. - Encarnación Fería Municipal, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith September 2007).