Whirligig Beetles are small oval water-beetles, steely grey/black or bronze in colour with paler legs, and very short antennae.  The middle and hind legs are paddle-shaped and adapted for swimming, wheras the front legs are for grasping prey and food.  They carry an air-bubble on the tip of the abdomen, and their eyes are divided in two to see both above and below water. They are gregarious, and the name comes from their behaviour of swimming rapidly in circles on the water surface, often in small groups.  

There are several species, which are hard to identify.

If you haven't identifed the whirligig beetle to species from a specimen using standard keys, you should record it here as the genus

ponds and still water bodies