| More commonly
known as the Whirligig Beetle, Gyrinus substriatus
is one of three such species in the UK. It is also the
commonest of the three and was found present in numbers
(150+) on the surface of the pool on Budby South Forest
in late August 2009. The beetles can go underwater, but
spend most of their time on the surface, where they feed
on small insects that fall onto the water. This was the
first record of G. substriatus for the Sherwood
NNR, probably due to the lack of any real permanent water
around the reserve. |
