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View Full Version : Predaceous Diving Beetle - swimming



Steve Maxson
11-14-2011, 05:58 PM
Another shot of the 40 mm long Predaceous Diving Beetle (Dytiscus sp.). Because they store air under their elytras, they are quite buoyant and swim with their tail end angled upwards. This one was busy paddling with all 6 legs. This is a male as told by the suction pads on its front legs - these are used to help grasp the female during copulation - they also work rather well for climbing out of aquariums. :t3 5D II, 100 mm macro, 1/80, f/16, ISO 200, MT24-EX macro twin flash (diffused), hand held, manual focus. Photo taken in my 2 gallon aquarium setup. I cleaned up many small bits of debris in the water that were illuminated by the flash and ran NR on the background. All comments are welcome and appreciated.

bhavya joshi
11-15-2011, 02:50 AM
Another Beautiful shot.. Steve.. Nice Diving actions... clean background and clear image.. This beetle is harmless to other aquarium creatures.. ???
Or it is alone in whole aquarium.??.its look like the GUY of aquarium..:bg3:

Steve Maxson
11-15-2011, 01:25 PM
Another Beautiful shot.. Steve.. Nice Diving actions... clean background and clear image.. This beetle is harmless to other aquarium creatures.. ???
Or it is alone in whole aquarium.??.its look like the GUY of aquarium..:bg3:

Joshi: These beetles are definitely not harmless to other invertebrates as they are voracious predators. I had a few dragonfly nymphs in the tank with him, but he didn't seem very adept at capturing them. I did feed it a few small earthworms which were devoured with great enthusiasm! :Whoa!:

Ken Childs
11-16-2011, 11:22 AM
Another winner, Steve! As usual you've captured the perfect pose....that extended leg adds a lot to the image and the antennae couldn't have been more perfectly placed. I could see boosting the contrast but as it is right now, it does feel more like an aquatic scene. Fantastically done! :cheers:

OvidiuCavasdan
11-19-2011, 11:04 AM
Outstanding capture, perfect pose and details, I like it a lot!

Steve Maxson
11-28-2011, 11:08 AM
Thanks for the comments Joshi, Ken, and Ovidiu!