Water-lily Reed Beetle vs Small Amber Spinner

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Water-lily Reed Beetle Small Amber Spinner
Scientific Name Donacia simplex Caenis macrura
Order Coleoptera Ephemeroptera
Family Chrysomelidae Caenidae
Size 7-9 mm 3-5 mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Ponds & Lakes
Diet Herbivores Omnivores
Regions Europe, Asia, North America Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Water-lily Reed Beetle

A metallic coppery-bronze aquatic beetle with longitudinal ridges on the elytra. Adults sit on floating leaves of pondweeds and bur-reeds in still or slow-flowing water.

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Did You Know?

Larvae construct a silken cocoon underwater attached to plant roots, filling it with air obtained from the plant's tissues for pupation.

Small Amber Spinner

A tiny mayfly whose amber-colored spinners fall to the water in dense clouds. Nymphs live among fine sediments in slow-flowing water.

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Did You Know?

Spinner falls can be so dense they coat the water surface like a film, triggering frenzied fish feeding.