Predaceous diving beetle

Freshwater ponds, lakes, marshes, and slow-moving streams; adults often fly to new water bodies at night.

Adults and larvae are aquatic predators that eat insects, tadpoles, small crustaceans, and other small aquatic animals; larvae inject digestive enzymes into prey.

Strong swimmers with flattened, streamlined bodies and oar-like hind legs. They periodically surface to store air beneath the wing covers and may overwinter underwater or in nearby soil.

They are beneficial predators that help regulate aquatic invertebrate populations. Adults and especially larvae can deliver a painful defensive bite, but they are not medically dangerous and do not infest homes.