Sunburst diving beetle
The sunburst diving beetle is a shiny black water beetle covered in bright yellow spots, like little suns. It is a real scuba diver. Before it dives, it tucks a bubble of air under its wings so it can breathe under water for a long time.
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Fun facts
Its larva was the first animal ever found with bifocal eyes, which can see both near and far.
The larva has 12 eyes, six on each side of its head.
It can grow from an egg into a grown-up beetle in just 28 days.
When its pool dries up, it simply flies off to find a new one.
It is a helpful beetle, because it eats lots of mosquito larvae.
Most asked questions about Sunburst diving beetle
?What does the sunburst diving beetle eat?
It eats small water animals like insects, snails and tadpoles, and its larvae eat mosquito larvae.
?How does a diving beetle breathe under water?
It carries a bubble of air under its wings, like a scuba diver's tank.
?Is the sunburst diving beetle dangerous?
No. It is harmless to people, but it can squirt a bad-tasting liquid if bothered.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Thermonectus marmoratus
- Group
- Beetles
- Family
- Dytiscidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Coleoptera > Dytiscidae
- Lives on
- North America
- Also known as
- Yellow-spotted diving beetle
Where the facts come from
- Thermonectus marmoratus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Issac I Navarro. CC0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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