Bug FAQChevrolat's Dytiscid
Copelatus chevrolati · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Dytiscidae
Adults are about 5.3 to 6.7 mm long and 2.6 to 3.1 mm wide (0.21 to 0.26 in by 0.10 to 0.12 in). The species is a diving beetle and can be told apart from other North American Copelatus by having eight or nine discal striae.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Eight or nine discal striae distinguish this beetle from other North American Copelatus species.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure 5.3 to 6.7 mm in length and 2.6 to 3.1 mm in width.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It occurs from the southeastern US westward to California and Texas, and northward to South Dakota, Michigan, and southern Ontario.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Copelatus chevrolati is a diving beetle.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range covers the southern and central United States and extends into southern Ontario.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Other North American Copelatus species lack the eight or nine discal striae seen in this beetle.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 27 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Louisiana, Indiana.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I tell Copelatus chevrolati apart from other Copelatus beetles?
Look for eight or nine discal striae on the back; other species have a different number.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Dytiscidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copelatus_chevrolati
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.