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Meru phyllisae
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Adephaga
Family:	Meruidae; Spangler & Steiner, 2005
Genus:	Meru; Spangler & Steiner, 2005
Species:	M. phyllisae
Binomial name
	Meru phyllisae; Spangler & Steiner, 2005

Meruidae is a family of aquatic beetles in the suborder Adephaga,^[1] with only one genus and species, Meru phyllisae. The beetle species was first found in the early 1980s.^[2] and fully described in 2005. At 0.8 mm (0.031 in), it is one of the smallest adephagan beetles in the world. A survey of aquatic beetles of Venezuela indicated that Meru is most common during the wet season, when larger areas of granitic rock surface are covered with water film, which the adult beetles as well as the larvae inhabit.

Etymology

The name Meruidae comes from the local Pemon people word for waterfall, meru. The beetle was given this name because it can only be found in cascading water.^[3]

Distribution

Meru phyllisae is only known from the natural cascading waterfalls in El Tobogán, Las Amazonas, Venezuela. Although it is a remote location that is strongly protected, Venezuelan tourists visit the place because of its uniqueness, causing habitat degradation.^[2]

References

^ Steiner, Warren. 2005. Meruidae. Version 1 January 2005 (temporary). http://tolweb.org/Meruidae/29297/2005.01.01 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/
^ ^a ^b Paul J. Spangler, Warren E. Steiner JR (2005) A new aquatic beetle family, Meruidae, from Venezuela (Coleoptera: Adephaga) Systematic Entomology 30 (3), 339–357
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