One of the bugs that look like a cockroach is the great diving beetle. For some people, these insects are not foreign and they are familiar with the shape and appearance these insects. Great diving beetles can be found in various parts of the world, namely Europe, North Asia, and Wales. This beetle can also be found in Southern Scotland and England.
This insect is large for the size of a water diver beetle. The interesting thing is that the size of the larvae is much larger than when these beetles become adults. When still in larval form, this beetle can reach 60 millimeters or about 2.4 inches in length. Curious about other interesting facts? Let’s read the following review.
Short Description of Great Diving Beetle
Great diving beetle or simply water beetle is the general name for any beetle adapted to live in water at any point in its life cycle. Most water beetles can only live in freshwater, with some marine species living in the intertidal or littoral zone. There are about 2000 species of native water beetles native to land around the world.
The water beetle is an insect in the Hydrophilidae family. Water beetles measure 1 to 40 mm. Water beetles have 3 pairs of legs that can grip firmly. These insects feed on food debris and some species feed on leaves and suck the sap from plant stems.
Water beetles are aquatic predators. These insects prey on tadpoles, frogs, fish eggs, there are even some species that prey on larger fish. Water beetles have fine hairs on their body parts that function to trap oxygen so they can survive in the water.
Water beetles reproduce sexually, which involves male and female individuals for the fertilization process. Female water beetles lay their eggs on the banks of rivers or lakes. Most families of water beetles have larvae that also live in water; many have aquatic larvae and terrestrial adults.
The Similarity Between Great Diving Beetle with Cockroach
Water beetles and cockroaches are grouped into one phylum and class, namely Arthropods and Insects. The hallmark of the phylum Arthropoda is that it has a segmented abdomen. Several species of the Hydrophilidae family have a shape similar to a cockroach, which is brownish in color and measuring 2 to 3 cm, so it is not uncommon for water beetles to be considered as cockroaches.
In addition, water beetles and cockroaches have wings and are nocturnal or nocturnal. Another similarity is that water beetles and cockroaches like moist places and eats food debris. The water beetle is considered a pest because it harms humans by preying on fish eggs that are cultured in ponds. Several species of water beetle feed on plant stems, indicating that the water beetle is capable of digesting cellulose.
The Difference Between Great Diving Beetle with Cockroach
Although great diving beetles and cockroaches are distributed almost all over the world, cockroaches have more than 4000 species, which is about 2x more than the number of water beetle species.
Water beetles and cockroaches at first glance look similar, but the difference is that water beetles are not flat like cockroaches and water beetles have a hard exoskeleton. Despite having a physical appearance that slightly resembles a cockroach, the water beetle is not harmful to human health.
Some species of water beetles measure 2-3 cm, but some are as large as 5 cm. Water beetles make a buzzing sound to attract the opposite sex, while cockroaches only make the sound of their wings flapping when they fly. Cockroaches move much faster than water beetles. Cockroaches are able to sense human fear and some of them take advantage of this situation to run away or fly closer.
Although water beetles and cockroaches have hard exoskeletons, cockroach exoskeletons contain wax that keeps them from getting wet when exposed to water. While the exoskeleton of the water beetle has a function as “gills” so that it can survive in water longer.
Water beetles and cockroaches like moist places, but water beetles do not live in dirty places, but in water. Water beetles can also survive in the water to lay eggs. Some species of adult water beetles are herbivores and predators of small insects, fish eggs, and tadpoles. Another difference is the way of reproduction. Water beetles reproduce sexually, while cockroaches reproduce parthenogenesis.