Whirligig Beetle Larva - Dinetus emarginatus

I was trying to get a photo of this really cool caddisfly larva, but this stinker started chomping on it before I could get any good photos.

These larvae are flanked with rows of feathery gills that allow them to breathe without leaving the mud at the bottom of a pond. They feed by injecting prey with poison and then sucking out the guts.

Habitat: Caught in a woodland pond. Photographed at home in an aquarium.

**This larva is voracious! It has already eaten several other invertebrates that I brought home.