Elmidae
Family of beetles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Elmidae, commonly known as riffle beetles, is a family of beetles in the superfamily Byrrhoidea described by John Curtis in 1830. Both adults and larvae are usually aquatic, living under rocks in fast-flowing shallow areas of streams, such as riffles, feeding on algae and biofilms.[1] There are more than 150 genera and 1,500 described species in Elmidae.[2][3][4][5] The oldest record of the group is Cretohypsilara from the Cenomanian aged Burmese amber.[6]
| Elmidae Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| |
| Ancyronyx schillhammeri | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Elateriformia |
| Superfamily: | Byrrhoidea |
| Family: | Elmidae Curtis, 1830 |
| Subfamilies | |
| Diversity | |
| at least 150 genera | |
