Heterelmis comalensis
Species of beetle
title: "Heterelmis comalensis" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["byrrhoidea", "endemic-fauna-of-texas", "beetles-of-north-america", "beetles-described-in-1988"] description: "Species of beetle" topic_path: "general/byrrhoidea" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterelmis_comalensis" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Species of beetle ::
| image = Heterelmis comalensis.jpg | status = G1 | status_system = TNC | status_ref = |status2=LE |status2_system=ESA |status2_ref= | genus = Heterelmis | species = comalensis | authority = Bosse, Tuff, and Brown, 1988 | synonyms =
Heterelmis comalensis is a rare species of beetle known by the common name Comal Springs riffle beetle. It is endemic to Texas in the United States, where it occurs in only two springs. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.
Description
This beetle was described as a new species in 1988. It is about 2 mm long. It has nonfunctional wings and cannot fly.
Habitat and conservation
The beetle lives in Comal Springs in Comal County and San Marcos Springs in Hays County, Texas. It occurs in shallow water in the gravel substrate and in riffles.
The main threat to this rare species is the slow loss of the Edwards Aquifer, which has long been tapped for its water. The aquifer feeds the springs in which the beetle lives.
References
References
- "''Heterelmis comalensis''". NatureServe.
- "Comal Springs riffle beetle (''Heterelmis comalensis'')". U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
- USFWS. [https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1997-12-18/pdf/97-33041.pdf Final Rule To List Three Aquatic Invertebrates in Comal and Hays Counties, TX, as Endangered.] ''Federal Register'' '''62'''(243):66295–66304. December 18, 1997. Accessed on 22 April 2023.
- (1988). "A new species of ''Heterelmis'' from Texas (Coleoptera: Elmidae)". Southwestern Naturalist.
- (2003). "Habitat and phenology of the endangered riffle beetle ''Heterelmis comalensis'' and a coexisting species, ''Microcylloepus pusillus'', (Coleoptera: Elmidae) at Comal Springs, Texas, USA". Archiv für Hydrobiologie.
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