Gyrinidae
Whirlygig beetles
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close boxCharacteristics
Gyrinids are highly modified for life at the air-water interface. Their compound eyes are divided in two:
Right side of Gyrinus sp.
When the beetles are swimming on the surface of the water, the dorsal portion of the eye is in air, and the ventral portion in water.
References
Beutel, R. G. 1989a. The head of Spanglerogyrus albiventris Folkerts (Coleoptera: Gyrinidae). Contribution towards clarification of the phylogeny of Gyrinidae and Adephaga. Zool. Jb. Anat. 118(4): 431-461.
Beutel, R. G. 1989b. The prothorax of Spanglerogyrus albiventris Folkerts, 1979 (Coleoptera: Gyrinidae) Contribution towards clarification of the phylogeny of Gyrinidae. Entomologica Basiliensia 13: 151-173.
Beutel, R. G. 1990. Phylogenetic analysis of the family Gyrinidae (Coleoptera) based on meso- and metathoracic characters. Quaestiones Entomologicae, 26:163-191.
Beutel, R. G., and R. E. Roughley. 1988. On the systematic position of the family Gyrinidae (Coleoptera: Adephaga). Z. zool. Syst. Evolut.-forsch, 26:380-400.
Beutel, R. G., and R. E. Roughley. 1994. Phylogenetic analysis of Gyrinidae based on characters of the larval head (Coleoptera: Adephaga). Entomologica scandinavica 24: 459-468.
Burmeister, E.G. 1990. The female genital structures of Spanglerogyrus albiventris Folkerts, 1979: A contribution to the systematic position of the Gyrinidae. Spixiana 13(3): 253-265.
Folkerts, G. W. 1979. Spanglerogyrus albiventris, a primitive new genus and species of Gyrinidae (Coleoptera) from Alabama. The Coleopterists Bulletin 33(1): 1-8.
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Page copyright © 1995 David R. Maddison
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Tree of Life Web Project. 1995. Gyrinidae. Whirlygig beetles. Version 01 January 1995 (temporary). http://tolweb.org/Gyrinidae/8882/1995.01.01 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/