gyrinidn.adj.
/dʒɪˈrɪnɪd/ Entomology.
A. n.
A member of the Gyrinidæ, a family of aquatic beetles; a whirligig beetle (see whirligig n. 4).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Coleoptera or beetles and weevils > [noun] > Adephaga (carnivorous beetles) > Hydradephaga (aquatic) > member of family Gyrinidae (whirligig)
whirligig1713
cramp-spider1721
whirlwig1816
weaver1864
mellow bug1894
gyrinid1925
1925 Papers Michigan Acad. Sci., Arts & Lett. V. 432 Nothing can be surer than that the gyrinids would never have developed in the absence of a surface habitat.
1955 D. J. Borror & D. M. DeLong Introd. Study Insects xxii. 339 The gyrinids are oval black beetles that are commonly seen swimming in endless gyrations on the surface of ponds and quiet streams.
B. adj.
Of, pertaining to, or designating a beetle of this kind.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Coleoptera or beetles and weevils > [adjective] > belonging to the Hydradephaga > of or relating to member of Gyrinidae
gyrinid1925
1925 Papers Michigan Acad. Sci., Arts & Lett. V. 430 The first step that one must take in the study of gyrinid affinities is to divest the beetles of their adaptive characters.
1943 Brit. Jrnl. Psychol. Sept. 26 Gyrinid beetles,..maintain a constant general position [in flowing water] by means..of visual perception of the pattern of objects on the adjacent banks.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1972; most recently modified version published online June 2018).
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n.adj.1925