| Scientific Name | Specimen Records |  Click photo to enlarge. Photo by Charles Staines. |
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| Acilius mediatus (Say) | ATBI Database | ||||
| Common Name | |||||
| N/A | |||||
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | |
| Animalia | Arthropoda | Insecta | Coleoptera | Dytiscidae | |
| Animals | Arthropods | Insects | Beetles | Predaceous Diving Beetles | |
Physical characteristics:
Adult: Head reddish-yellow with a distinct M-shaped mark between eyes. Pronotum yellow with two transverse black bands. Elytra with large pale subapical spot. Venter predominately black. Elytral punctures small, rounded, varying in size. Females of this species do not have the four ridges on the elytra; they can be distinguished by the distinct M-mark on the head. Males do not have tufts of hairs on the inner margins of the first three tarsal segments of the middle legs. (Bergsten & Miller 2006)
Adult body length: 10-12.6 mm.
Larvae: Unknown.
Distribution:
Global
This species is known from southeastern Canada and eastern United States (Bergsten & Miller 2006).
Park
This species is known from the Cades Cove and Cataloochee areas of the park with records from July to October.
Natural History:
Habitat
This species occurs in a wide variety of habitats, including woodland pools, open swamps, and edges of slowly moving rivers. It is most common in temporary forest ponds with abundant dead leaves and no vegetation. (Michael & Matta 1977; Larson et al. 2000; Ciegler 2003; Bergsten & Miller 2006)
Conservation Biology
This species is common, widespread, and not globally threatened.Acknowledgements
Text:
Charles Staines.
Photographs:Charles Staines.
Web page:
References
Bergsten, J. & K. B. Miller. 2006. Taxonomic revision of the Holarctic diving beetle genus Acilius Leach (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). Systematic Entomology 31:145-197.
Ciegler, J. C. 2003. Water beetles of South Carolina (Coleoptera: Gyrinidae, Haliplidae, Noteridae, Dytiscidae, Hydrophilidae, Hydraenidae, Scirtidae, Elmidae, Dryopidae, Limnichidae, Heteroceridae, Psephenidae, Ptilodactylidae, and Chelonariidae). Biota of South Carolina . Volume 3. Clemson University, Clemson. 207 pp.
Larson, D. J. Y. Alarie, & R. E. Roughley. 2000. Predacious diving beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) of the Nearctic Region, with emphasis on the fauna of Canada and Alaska . NRC Press. Ottawa . 982 pp.
Michael, A. G. & J. F. Matta. 1977. The Dytiscidae of Virginia (Coleoptera: Adephaga) (Subfamilies: Laccophilinae, Colymbetinae, Dytiscinae, Hydaticinae, and Cybistrinae). Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Research Bulletin 124. 53 pp.
