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Meet : Lady water bug


Meet : Lady water bug
Photo Information
Copyright: Tanja Almazan (sily) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 238 W: 6 N: 391] (1893)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-03-10
Categories: Insects
Camera: Canon PowerShot A710 IS
Exposure: f/3.5, 1/60 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-03-10 12:48
Viewed: 662
Points: 18
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Hello, I'm female water bug Cybister laterimarginalis!

I belong to family Dytiscidae it's a family of aquatic beetles.I'm about 5 cm long.
I've been hidding somewhere during the winter and now I crawled out, that's why I'm little dirty.
Amazingly I am the first in the forest of Carska Bara natural reserve, except one little forest frog.
I need to find something to eat, I'm really not choosy, I like everything edible dead or alive.My favorite meal when I was young larva living in fish pond were fish and frog eggs and young, people sometimes concider me a pest because I hunt young small fish or damage them severly.So, I'm a predator, I eat things smaller than me!
Now, I can eat plant food too, when I must.
I can fly very well and even make some sounds.I'm a fast swimmer too!As you can see my back legs are covered with something like hair that helps me move faster trough the water,I use my legs as paddles. My body is hydrodinamicaly shaped,my cover wings are full of small relief lines that help water and water drops slide down from me easily and let me move trough the water faster.

FACTS:
* Most species are aquatic with predaceous larvae and adults
* Hind legs fringed with "hairs".
* Metasternal spine present on some species.
* Adults 1- to 40-mm long; body oval or elliptical, convex dorsally.
* Males have sticky pads on their front legs to atach on female

The Predaceous Diving Beetle is common in lakes, ponds, and vernal pools. This shiny, brownish-black beetle is a strong flier and eats insects or other small water organisms. Predaceous Diving Beetles and their larvae are known as ferocious predators. The diving beetle larva is sometimes called the "water tiger" or "dragon of the pond" because of its immense appetite. It will even eat its own kind. Both the adult and the larva wait in ambush for their favorite meal of insects, leeches, snails, tadpoles and fish. (They’re not very picky!) The diving beetle has strong, sharp jaws that are used for defense and to catch prey. Its hollow jaws are like hypodermic needles. The beetle can shoot digestive enzymes into its victim, predigesting the food before sucking it up. Since the beetle does not have gills, it has to come to the surface for air.
jeanpaul, Alex99, fartash, nainnain, aido, JoseMiguel has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To aido: Thankssily 3 03-10 20:13
To batu: You were rightsily 1 03-10 17:10
To JoseMiguel: I knowsily 1 03-10 16:55
To batu: I checkedsily 1 03-10 15:04
To Bufo: Really?sily 2 03-10 14:47
To Alex99: Thankssily 1 03-10 14:22
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Critiques [Translate]

Salut Tanja
Très belle photo que ce bel insecte que je vois pour la première fois de ma vie.. Le cadrage est très beau avec une belle composition, les couleurs et les détails sont supers .
Merci et au revoir ....JP

Hi Tanja, splendid macro with wonderful details, very beautiful composition, have a great week end, ciao Silvio

  • Great 
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3585 W: 143 N: 5669] (18533)
  • [2007-03-10 13:49]
  • [+]

Hi Tanja.
Great quality of reproduction of this cute bug and funny, interesting note. May be, only POV is too vertical. Your new camera is perfect. My compliments.
Alexei.

  • Great 
  • Bufo Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 422 W: 73 N: 984] (4241)
  • [2007-03-10 14:04]
  • [+]

Hi Tanja,
once they've bitten in your fingers you'll never forget them. I will never forget them ;-)
Greets, JAcob

Hello Tanja
Excellent shot of this strange bug,
Perfect focusing of head,Great lighting,
Welldone.

Regards
Fartash

  • Great 
  • batu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1059 W: 290 N: 3946] (13340)
  • [2007-03-10 14:24]
  • [+]

Hello Tanja,
the surface structures of this water beetle are impressively shown. Focus and sharpness are excellent.
I think, that the species shown is clearly a member of the family Dytiscidae and not of the Hydrophilidae: The yellow framed elytrae are a clear indicator. However, i can't gie a species identification. Nevertheless, a superb picture.
Best wishes, Peter

  • Great 
  • jb06 (14)
  • [2007-03-10 14:24]

Nice photo, very detailed. TFS. - Jeff

  • Great 
  • aido Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 1044 W: 156 N: 1218] (4046)
  • [2007-03-10 14:54]
  • [+]

Hi Tanja,
Superb macro shot, the detail is superb, great camera work. It's really quite amazing to be able to look at the intricate markings on his case. I love the note, it was nice of this beetle to write the note for you :-)
Cheers,
Adrian

Hi Tanja,
Magnificent capture of this insect!
The textures got on them are really impressive!
You did it pretty good with the exposure, despite you didn't used flash, and that your POV is right at the top, so good job in not to make shadows over the subject.
Very original your note wrote in 1st. person.
Congratulations and thanks for share.
My best regards,
JM

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