The whirligig beetles are water beetles, comprising the family Gyrinidae that usually swim on the surface of the water if undisturbed, though they swim underwater when threatened. They get their common name from their habit of swimming rapidly in circles when alarmed, and are also notable for their divided eyes which are believed to enable them to see both above and below water. The family includes some 700 extant species worldwide, in 15 genera, plus a few fossil species. Most species are very similar in general appearance, though they vary in size from perhaps 3 mm to 18 mm in length. They tend to be flattened and rounded in cross section, in plain view as seen from above, and in longitudinal section. In fact their shape is a good first approximation to an ellipsoid, with legs and other appendages fitting closely into a streamlined surface. Whirligig beetles belong to the beetle suborder Adephaga, which also includes ground beetles and diving beetles.
Copelatus is a large genus of small diving beetles. There are some 470 described species in the genus, found worldwide, but they are most diverse in tropical South America, Africa and South-East Asia. Copelatus are often black or brown in color, many species of Copelatus possessing visible longitudinal furrows down the dorsal side of the wings of both sexes.
Gyrinus is a genus of small aquatic whirligig beetles in the family Gyrinidae native to the Palearctic, the Near East, the Nearctic, North Africa, Asia and Australia.
Laccophilus is a genus of water beetle found in nearly every temperate or tropical region in the world including but not limited to Europe, the Near East, the Nearctic, North Africa and the Oriental region. It contains the following species:
Hydaticus is a genus of predatory water beetle belonging to the family Dytiscidae. Hydaticus can be found throughout most of the world. There are 150 described species and 12 subspecies in two subgenera in the genus Hydaticus.
Cybister, is a genus of beetle in family Dytiscidae. They are found in much of the world, including all continents except Antarctica. As of 2021 there are 96 species and 9 additional subspecies among four subgenera in the genus.
Dineutus is a genus of beetles in the family Gyrinidae, the whirligig beetles. They are 9 to 15 millimeters long. Their elytra are smooth, shallowly lined, or grooved.
Orectochilus is a genus of beetle native to the Palearctic, the Near East and North Africa. It contains the following species:
Platynectes is a genus of beetles in the family Dytiscidae, containing the following species:
Prodaticus is a subgenus of beetles of the genus Hydaticus in the family Dytiscidae. These 143 species are in the subgenus Prodaticus:
Bidessus is a genus of beetles in the family Dytiscidae, containing the following species:
Pachydrus is a genus of beetles in the family Dytiscidae, containing the following species:
Porrorhynchus is a genus of beetles in the family Gyrinidae, containing the following species:
Andogyrus is a subgenus of Macrogyrus, a genus of beetles in the family Gyrinidae. It was formerly considered a distinct genus, until a phylogenetic study in 2017 downgraded it in rank to a subgenus. It contains the following species:
Aulonogyrus is a genus of beetles in the family Gyrinidae, containing the following species:
Gyretes is a genus of beetles in the family Gyrinidae, containing the following species:
Orectogyrus is a genus of beetles in the family Gyrinidae, containing the following species:
Canthydrus is a genus of beetles in the family Noteridae, containing the following species:
Suphisellus is a genus of beetles in the family Noteridae, containing the following species:
Gyrininae is a subfamily of ground and water beetles in the family Gyrinidae. There are at least 740 described extant species in Gyrininae.
