Common pond swimmer
| Common pond swimmer | ||||||||||||
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Common pond swimmer, also called dark pond swimmer |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Colymbetes fuscus | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The common pond swimmer ( Colymbetes fuscus ), also known as the dark pond swimmer , is a beetle from the family of swimming beetles (Dytiscidae).
features
The oval body is 16 to 17 millimeters long. The yellow-brown pronotum is extensively darkened in its middle. The wing covers are colored yellow. They have transverse grooves that are black and finely corrugated and are so close that the wing covers appear uniformly dark. The underside of the body is colored black.
Occurrence
The common pond swimmer inhabits Europe with the exception of the northernmost areas. The species' habitat is mainly still waters, but it can also be found in flowing waters, brackish water and moors. It is considered common in Central Europe.
Way of life
The females lay their eggs on aquatic plants in spring. The eggs are rarely laid in autumn, when the larvae then overwinter. The larvae usually live on aquatic plants and are predators. First they feed on plankton organisms, later they also prey on tadpoles and larvae of insects. The adults can fly very well.
literature
- Herbert W. Ludwig: Animals and plants of our waters. BLV Verlagsgesellschaft, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-405-16487-7 , p. 208.
Web links
- Colymbetes fuscus in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved July 2, 2011