Great silver water beetle
The great silver water beetle is one of the biggest insects that live in water. It is black with a greenish shine and has bulging eyes. It swims in quiet ponds, lakes and ditches full of plants.
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Fun facts
Its larvae can grow up to 7 centimetres long, even longer than the grown-up beetle.
In spring, the mother spins a little silk bag, fills it with eggs and lets it float on the water like a tiny boat.
It can live up to three years, but most die after laying eggs in their first year.
It has become very rare and has disappeared from some countries, like Norway.
Most asked questions about Great silver water beetle
?How big is the great silver water beetle?
About 5 centimetres long, which makes it one of the largest water insects.
?What does the great silver water beetle eat?
Mostly water plants. Its larvae eat pond snails.
?Is the great silver water beetle dangerous?
No. It is harmless to people.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Hydrophilus piceus
- Group
- Beetles
- Family
- Hydrophilidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Coleoptera > Hydrophilidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Africa, Asia
Where the facts come from
- Hydrophilus piceus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Darkone. CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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