How big is a water penny?

How big is a water penny?

around 6 to 10 millimeters
They are around 6 to 10 millimeters in length. A water penny larvae’s shell are oval-shaped to almost circular and is commonly a copper color, which explains the name, ‘water penny. ‘ Water pennies obtain oxygen through their membrane and through feathery gills located at the base of the abdomen.

What habitat do water pennies live in?

Water pennies live underwater on rocks in rapid currents—an unusual habitat for a beetle, but one that offers some protection from predators.

What is the shape of a water penny?

They dorso-ventrally flattened, with expansions of the dorsal plates that extend out so far that they are oblong or nearly round when viewed from above — the head and legs completely covered. This flat round shape, plus their brownish color, earns them the name “water pennies”.

Where can you find water pennies?

Water-pennies obtain oxygen through their membrane and through feathery gills located at the base of the abdomen. They are typically found in riffles in streams with a moderate to fast current, clinging to the underside of logs or rocks. Occasionally, they can be found on rocks along the shores of lakes.

What do riffle beetles look like?

Adult riffle beetles are small (1-8 mm long), dark, elongate, hard-bodied beetles, with relatively long legs and tarsal claws. The antennae are at most slightly clubbed, usually slender (this distinguishes them from species in an otherwise-similar family, the Dryopidae).

What have pennies been made of?

A penny is not what you think. Indeed, from 1793 to 1837, a cent was pure copper. But newer pennies are made mostly of zinc. The cent was again bronze (95 percent copper, and five percent tin and zinc) from 1864 to 1962, except: In 1943, the coin’s composition was changed to zinc-coated steel.

What is the scientific name of the water penny?

Psephenidae
Water-penny beetle/Scientific names