Dysticus Marginalis
A big beetle that lives in the water,
just like its even larger larva.
The beetle uses it big legs to swim and
hunt with great speed.
No other animals is save for it,
as it catches everything that
moves, that way it's called "watertiger".
But they are also able to fly for miles.
In this way they can end in your pond,
eating youre fish!
It has almost no enemies, only the stickelbacks
attack the larvae. The beetle does eat fish
food pellets, like Tertramin. But prefers
living food, like tadpoles.
There are many different waterbeetles or Dystidiae,
some of them living in brackish water.
the diving waterbeetle larvae
The larvae is a real giant, with 6 jointed legs,
mostly hold in a wide spread, waiting with its
large crescent shaped mandibles.
water beetle control
The waterbeetle can eat all youre fish, frogs
and newts if there are to many of them.
Lucky it has some enemies, but
only a few. Stickelbacks will eat the
larvae, but only if these larvae are small.
Sunfishes will save youre pond, they are
afraid for nothing. Never buy two Sunfishes,
otherwise an invasion of sunfishes
follows. But one sunfish is ok, if youre
pond is small the sunfish will remains
small either.
The diving waterbeetle larva was researched with this clever
instrument during the 19th centuary
Focus was the oxygen intake of the watertiger, as it was called.
The diving waterbeetle breaths with the end
of its body and is able to stay
2 minutes completely submerged.
Pondlife in a healthy pond.
1 Edible frog (Rana esculenta)
2 Brown frag (Rana temporalis)
3 Frogfish
4 great diving beetle (Dytiscus marginalis)
5 Waterspider (Argyroneta aquatica)
6 common newt (Triturus vulgaris)
7 European grass snake (Natix natrix)
8 larval stage of Caddisflies or sedge-flies (Trichoptera)
1 Eurasian water milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum)
2 spatterdock or yellow water-lily (Nuphar luteum)
3Common Water Crowfoot (Batrachium aquatilis)
4 Water-starwort or water-chickweed. (Callitriche verna)
The diving waterbeetle larva has large jaws.
It bites everything that moves.
This watertiger has just killed an eat
another waterbeetle. It is waiting for
a tadpole, a newt or a finger.
Pondlife in a healthy pond.
