Click beetle
Click beetles are a diverse family of beetles known scientifically as Elateridae, encompassing over 7,000 species worldwide. These insects are named for their distinctive clicking sound, which they produce to right themselves when flipped onto their backs. Click beetles are typically found in most global regions, though they avoid extreme climates like deserts and very wet areas. They are characterized by their flat bodies, reaching up to one-fourth of an inch in length, and they possess hard wing covers called elytra that protect their delicate rear wings.
Primarily herbivorous, click beetles feed on leaves and plant material, utilizing their mandibles to chew and process food. They mate in the spring, with females laying eggs in soil near vegetation. The larvae, known as wireworms, can damage crops and are considered pests, although adult click beetles pose little threat to humans. The life cycle of a click beetle includes a prolonged larval stage, lasting about four years, followed by pupation into their adult form. Their average lifespan is around five years, with only one year spent as an adult.
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Click beetle
The name click beetle refers to a family of beetles. The are so named becaues of the clicking sound the beetle makes when it rights itself, flipping itself onto its belly from its back. There are over 7,000 species of click beetles in the family Elateridae.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Uniramia
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Elateridae
Genus: Elater
Species: ferrugineus
The click beetle is found in all parts of the world. They do not favor climates like deserts, cold environments, and locations with high precipitation. About one thousand separate species of click beetle inhabit the United States. As a defense mechanism, a click beetle can fall to its back and simulate being dead. This happens when it is attacked by larger insects and insect-eating animals. When safe, it will propel itself into the air, making a clicking noise. The click beetle is distinguished by its flat body and its length. The click beetle grows to a maximum length of about one-fourth of an inch (one-half centimeter). Its body is divided into the three parts: the head, the thorax, or middle section, and the abdomen, or lower section. From its thorax extends the first of the click beetle's three pairs of short legs. The other two pairs extend from the click beetle's abdomen. On the click beetle's head are two antennae, which help it to sense smells in its surroundings.
Like other beetles, the click beetle's front pair of wings is formed into two hard cases called elytra. Each wing cover is an elytrum. The elytra cover and protect the delicate rear wings of the click beetle. As the click beetle crawls along through leaves on the ground, its elytra form a hard covering which looks like a solid part of an exoskeleton. When the beetle takes to the air, the elytra lift, and the rear wings are able to flutter and flap to propel the beetle through the air. The click beetle's elytra match the rest of its brown-and-beige body and help it blend in with the dry ground.
The click beetle feeds mostly on leaves and other plant matter in the wooded areas of Mexico where the click beetle lives. The click beetle chews and grinds these plant parts with its mandibles, or jaws. It then pushes the matter further into its mouth and throat with its maxillae and lips.
Like many other beetle species, the click beetle mates during the spring when the weather is warm. During mating, the male click beetle passes his spermatophore, or sperm packet, to the female to fertilize her eggs. After mating, the female lays her fertilized eggs in the soil around leaves and other vegetation.
Eventually, young beetles hatch from their eggs as tiny beetle larvae. They appear as yellow, worm-like insects which spend all of their time feeding on leaves. Larval click beetles are sometimes found living in rotting wood. The click beetle spends about four years in its larval stage before pupating, or moving into its final developmental stage. Pupal click beetles develop their wings and the other characteristics of their adult bodies.
Click beetles pose little health risks to humans. The larvae of click beetles are called wireworms. These can damage crops and are considered pests.
The average life span of the click beetle is about five years. Only one of these years is spent as an adult click beetle.
Related species:
- Rusty click beetle(Elater ferrugineus)
- Click-eyed Elator (Alaus oculatus)
Bibliography
“Elateridae Click Beetles.” Animal Diversity Web, 2024, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Elateridae/classification/#Elateridae. Accessed 1 Apr. 2024.
“Elateridae.” NC State Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2015, genent.cals.ncsu.edu/insect-identification/order-coleoptera/family-elateridae. Accessed 10 Apr. 2024.
Vallie, Sarah. “Click Beetles: What to Know.” WebMD, 16 Jan. 2023, www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/click-beetles-what-to-know. Accessed 1 Apr. 2024.