The water beetles (Coleoptera) comprise a large group of aquatic insects. Some are commonly seen skirting around on the service of ponds and streams, others are known mainly from their larval stages as living in the water.

J.B.S. Haldane, the 20th Century naturalist said "The Creator would appear as endowed with a passion for stars on the one hand and for beetles on the other". Beetles are the most numerous and diverse of the insect orders. There are more than 13,000 aquatic species (Short, 2018; Short and White, 2019). There are "only" about 170 aquatic beetle species known in Ohio, and about 90 or so, are recognized by Ohio EPA. Scanning the Ohio EPA's Macroinvertebrate Taxa List, Elmidae, the riffle beetle, is the most common family.

This webpage is created and maintained by Don Dean, Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Entomology, The Ohio State University. Please contact me with comments, questions about "Water Beetles of Ohio" or to report new findings. troutman4209@gmail.edu
beetlebannerbeetlebannerbbbbbbbbbbbb WATER BEETLES (COLEOPTERA) OF OHIO