Habitat & Habits: Most species of riffle beetles live in gravel and rocky bottom areas of swift current in streams. Larvae have hard bodies. Both larvae and adults crawl slowly among the rocks and gravel, using claws to cling. Adults rarely fly and are primarily aquatic.

What eats the riffle beetle?

Riffle beetles in the family Elmidae are frequent members of the invertebrate community of running water. ... Adults and larvae are rarely taken by invertebrate predators, but are eaten by fish, especially salmonids.

Are riffle beetles predators?

Most water beetles are predators as both larvae and adults, but other taxa are collector-gatherers or they feed or algae (e.g., many riffle beetles). A few species can even thrive on a diet of cyanobacteria, which is toxic or at least distasteful to most other herbivores.