Tropisternus lateralis

Tropisternus lateralis is a species of hydrophilid beetle that ranges across much of the Americas.[1]

Tropisternus lateralis
Adult Tropisternus lateralis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Coleoptera
Family:
Hydrophilidae
Genus:
Tropisternus
Species:
T. lateralis
Binomial name
Tropisternus lateralis
(Fabricius, 1775)

Description
T. lateralis larva

Adult T. lateralis nimabatus, the subspecies found in the eastern United States, are distinguished by having uniformly dark elytra and pronotum with light-colored borders.[1]

Distribution

The range of T. lateralis includes North America as far north as southern Canada, South America south to northern Chile and Argentina, the Caribbean, and the Galápagos Islands.[1][2] T. lateralis humeralis has been accidentally introduced to Oahu.[3]

Behavior
Five T. lateralis egg cases with individual eggs visible inside one of the egg cases

T. lateralis exhibits stridulation during stress, calling, and courtship.[4] Eggs are deposited in cases under water, and larvae are fully aquatic. While adults are primarily aquatic, they breathe air and can fly.[1] Adult T. lateralis avoid colonizing and laying egg cases in ponds that contain fish, which are potential predators of all life stages of the beetles.[5]

Subspecies

There are five recognized subspecies of Tropisternus lateralis.[6]

  • T. lateralis humeralis Motschulsky, 1850
  • T. lateralis lateralis (Fabricius, 1775)
  • T. lateralis limbalis (LeConte, 1855)
  • T. lateralis limbatus (Brullé, 1837)
  • T. lateralis nimbatus (Say, 1823)
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References
  1. Spangler, Paul J. (1960). A revision of the genus Tropisternus (Coleoptera:Hydrophilidae) (Ph.D.). University of Missouri.
  2. "Tropisternus lateralis". Charles Darwin Foundation. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  3. Hansen, Michael (1995). "A review of the Hawaiian Hydrophilidae (Coleoptera)". Pacific Science. 49 (3): 266–288.
  4. Ryker, Lee C. (1976). "Acoustic behavior of Tropisternus ellipticus, T. columbianus, and T. lateralis limbalis in western Oregon (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae)". The Coleopterists Bulletin. 30 (2): 147–156.
  5. Resetarits, Jr., William J. (2001). "Colonization under threat of predation: avoidance of fish by an aquatic beetle, Tropisternus lateralis (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae)" (PDF). Oecologia. 129: 155–160. doi:10.1007/s004420100704. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2015.
  6. "Tropisternus lateralis (Fabricius, 1775)". ITIS. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
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