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Diving beetle

Guide to New Zealand's freshwater invertebrates

Diving beetle ( Dytiscidae : Antiporus )

Larva with barbs on spoon-like “nose”
Adult with long 4th segment for fore tarsus

Diagnostic features

Antiporus is one of the dytiscid “diving beetles” having larvae and adults that are active swimmers. The larvae have a spoon-like “nose” supporting side barbs. The adults are oval and streamlined, up to 5mm long, with 11-segmented antennae, and the last segment of the foreleg is longer than the other tarsal segments.

Typical habitats

Antiporus are most common in ponds, wetlands and slow-flowing weedy streams.

Feeding

The dytiscid beetles are predators, feeding on other pond invertebrates.

Indicator value

The presence of Antiporus is more likely to reflect pond-like habitat conditions rather than any particular water quality conditions. They have medium to low tolerance values of 5 (hard bottom sites) and 3.5 (soft bottom sites).