Juggler (beetle)

Juggler
	Juggler ( Cybister lateralimarginalis ), male
Systematics
Superclass :	Six-footed (Hexapoda)
Class :	Insects (Insecta)
Order :	Beetle (Coleoptera)
Family :	Swimming beetles (Dytiscidae)
Genre :	Cybister
Type :	Juggler
Scientific name
	Cybister lateralimarginalis
	( De Geer , 1774)

The juggler ( Cybister lateralimarginalis ) is a beetle from the family of swimming beetles (Dytiscidae).

features

female

The body length of the juggler is 30 to 37 mm, which makes him a larger representative of the swimming beetles. It is very similar to the yellow fire beetle, which also belongs to this family . However, the body shape of the juggler is wider and flatter than that of the Gelbrand, which makes him an even better swimmer. The beetle also owes its good swimming ability to its reddish hind legs with swimming bristles. Furthermore, the widest section of the juggler on the abdomen is not directly in the middle, but somewhat behind the center of the beetle. Only the flanks of the thorax have a yellow border. The head and the rest of the body merge seamlessly. In contrast to other swimming beetles, the juggler has a well-developed mushroom body . As with some other swimming beetles, there is also a sexual dimorphism in the juggler , which mainly characterizes the wings of both sexes. These are predominantly smooth in the male and finely grained in the female. The up to 80 mm long larva has a narrower body and a significantly smaller head compared to the larva of the yellow fire beetle.

Occurrence

The juggler is widespread across Europe , North Africa and Asia . Its preferred habitat are clean and plant-rich waters, such as lakes or ponds. Because of this, the population of the species has greatly decreased.

Way of life

Larva of the juggler

The juggler, like other swimming beetles, is mostly underwater, but can also move on land and use his ability to fly to develop new habitats. Likewise, the juggler's larvae and adults are predatory. The main food is snails and tadpoles. The larva, unlike the adult beetles, has difficulty swimming and is therefore mostly found on aquatic plants. It sucks captured prey and clings to aquatic plants to breathe. The adults have to emerge to replenish their air supplies stored under the deck wings.

gallery

Frontal view of a floating juggler
Bottom view of a floating juggler
Lateral view of a female on land
Head detail of a larva

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Heiko Bellmann: The KOSMOS insect guide. Almost 900 species, often with larvae or pupae. Kosmos Naturführer, Kosmos (Franckh-Kosmos), 1st edition, 2018, p. 142, ISBN 978-3-440-15528-8 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Description of the juggler on www.donauauen.at ( Link )
↑ AA Panov: Not all dytiscidae have poorly developed mushroom bodies: The enigma of Cybister lateralimarginalis . Entomological Review, August 2014, Volume 94, Issue 5, pp. 654-663 doi: 10.1134 / S0013873814050029
↑ ^a ^b ^c Description of the juggler on insektenbox.de ( Link )

[bellmann-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Heiko Bellmann: The KOSMOS insect guide. Almost 900 species, often with larvae or pupae. Kosmos Naturführer, Kosmos (Franckh-Kosmos), 1st edition, 2018, p. 142, ISBN 978-3-440-15528-8 .

[donauauen-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Description of the juggler on www.donauauen.at ( Link )

[Panov-3] AA Panov: Not all dytiscidae have poorly developed mushroom bodies: The enigma of Cybister lateralimarginalis . Entomological Review, August 2014, Volume 94, Issue 5, pp. 654-663 doi: 10.1134 / S0013873814050029

[insektenbox-4] Description of the juggler on insektenbox.de ( Link )