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Geelger.watertor 06-97
Dytiscus marginalis
Great diving beetle, female

I found this beetle in my small garden pond and made some pictures (slides) of it. Not knowing then this would render a new impulse to my "ditch photography" passion, ending in spending a lot of time on this website.
By the grooves in the wing cases (elytra) you can recognise the female of the Great diving beetle. The males have smooth elytra and broadened front legs with sucking discs. Sometimes female specimen are found with smooth elytra, but never with sucking discs. Dytiscus marginalis is one of the largest beetles in the Northern hemisphere (and part of the Southern as well). It is a hungry carnivore that will bite in anything that is or was an animal. Despite that (or thanks to?) it is an interesting creature that can be easily held separate for a few days in a tank that is not to small. For food it will accept rainworms, flies, maggots, cat feed, etc. The Great diving beetle is often scooped out of garden ponds to be killed, because they may damage goldfish or other expensive fishes. That really is pity, because in the last era it's natural habitats are almost completely destroyed. So it's better to carry them over in a ditch nearby, or simply let them fly away. You could consider creating a small, more natural pond in your garden. Then you might learn that the frogs, newts and beetles that come to visit it, are much more interesting then those eternal goldfish...


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COPYRIGHT:
All pictures on this site were made by Gerard Visser (Aadorp, Netherlands), unless stated otherwise. All rights remain with him. These pictures may not be used for purposes any other than private viewing or printing. Do NOT hardlink to these pictures or place them on other websites without the author's approval. Should you need them for purposes which include third parties, you must ask the author permission by e-mail. People, who want to use this pictures for exhibitions or publications or educative material are much encouraged to do so, after approval as mentioned and giving the normal credits.
© G.H. Visser 11-04-2004
rev. 25-02-2022

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