The Hungerford's Crawling Water Beetle is a yellowish-brown insect that resembles a watermelon seed.
There's not a solid population estimate for the beetle, a 2002 survey in Emmet County's Maple River counted just over a thousand bugs. With the latest discovery in Roscommon, the beetle now inhabits fourteen rivers.
Michelle Kane is a biologist with the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service. She says the Service will be updating the beetle's range accounting for the new population.
"It's always fun to find something you're looking for, especially something you don't get to see a lot. We were just jumping up and down in the river for joy."
Kane says the beetles indicate high water quality and serve as the base of the food chain, feeding fish and birds.
