This beetle swims restless, when there is no place to hide, like under stones or in the mud. And like every Agabus species the beetle is swift, its mid- and hind legs have large hairs which make them real swimming legs. Yet it took a short rest on this branch of stonewort, long enough for photos to be taken, combined on this picture to enhance the depth of field. The stonewort could be Chara vulgaris, a common species (Simons, Lokhorst, van Beem, 1999). It is a monoecious specimen, with only the orange antherids (male productive organs) present.

On the picture above and the detail picture below left, you may see that the tarsus segments of the hind legs are straight cut. That is difference between Agabus diving beetles and the closely related Ilybius species (van Nieukerken,1992). Another difference is made by the two claws of each hind leg, with Agabus they are of equal length. That's not visible on this picture, so I added a little insert picture that does clearly shows that feature. Below this picture another one, of the left hind leg, this time with an insert of the picture itself, that again shows the claws.

Please click the pictures below to see other pictures of Agabus undulatus.

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.