User:JacobThalen/sandbox

Taxonomy: The Common name of this Acilius sulcatus is Gemeiner Furchenschwimmer ' form the German language which translates to English as the Common Furrows Float

Geographic range: A. sulcatus is primarily found throughout western and north western Europe.

Habitat: Temporary and permanent water bodies. A.sulcutas shows a generalist response to habitat choice living in bogs, ponds, streams, ect. As A.sulcatus is able to fly it is not restricted to a single body of water.

Environmental pressures: Acilius sulcatus is a found over a large range and is not thought to face any pressures on the continuity of the species, as such the beetle has not been evaluated by the IUCN. Due to its fairly large distribution A.sulcatus has been used as an aid in the measurement of the ecological health of wetlands.

Feeding:

A.sulcatus is a predatory diving beetle which feeds upon small invertebrate prey. Known for its high aquatic speed A.sulcatus actively pursues prey rather than using a sit and wait ambush strategy seen in other beetles. Larvae capture prey headfirst using mandibles before injecting digestive enzymes for extra oral digestion.

Life history:

Morphology:

A. sulcatus is easily recognized by its large distinctive paddle like hind legs. The body is always wider than the height of the insect, and is streamlined (no spines, or other chitinous structures protruding). As in all Dystiscidae beetles the sternal keel is absent. Although A.sulcatus has wings it is a clumsy flier and is well adapted for an aquatic lifestyle. A.sulcatus may also be recognized by unique reproductive structures. Males have suction cups used to secure the male to the slippery female during reproduction. Male attachment to females is detrimental to female survivability as such Females show modifications of the elytra.The elytra is highly grooved, making male attachment more difficult. This competition between the sexes has led to a co-evolutionary sexual arms race.

Defensive strategy Aquatic beetles in family Dystiscidae posess defensive glands, used to secrete agents repellent and toxic to vertebrate predators. Secretions primarily contain steroids. The steriods secreted act to anesthetize predators, leading to narcosis. A.sulcatus is highly adapted to aquatic movement and can make effective us of its speed to escape threats. When tested against 72 other common water beetle species A.sulcatus was shown to have the highest movement velocity.

Bio-control: Although it has not been put into practice, laboratory tests have shown A.sulcatus to be a highly effective predator of mosquito larvae. As such its use as a environmentaly friendly bio-control device is being examined.