A small (3 to 5mm) yellowish-brown water beetle. Underside of basal segment of middle tarsus strongly concave. Aedeagus blunt, right paramere with isolated tuft of bristles at tip. 

Ponds and sometimes canals.

Can be seen all year round but mainly from April to August.

The Haliplidae are a family of water beetles who swim using an alternating motion of the legs. They are therefore clumsy in water (compared e.g. with the Dytiscidae or Hydrophilidae), and prefer to get around by crawling. Larvae feed on algae and duckweeds, and consequently have specialised mouthparts which distinguish them from the carnivorous larvae of other groups.

Widespread and fairly frequent in much of Britain, less common in northern Scotland.

Fairly frequent in Leicestershire and Rutland. There were approximately 42 VC55 records for this species up to March 2015.