Click beetles Eyed click beetle Alaus oculatus Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptera Superfamily: Elateroidea Family: Elateridae Leach, 1815

Genus Abiphis Actenicerus Agrypnus Alaus Calais Campsosternus Chalcolepidius Elater Euphemus Hemiops Lycoreus Melanotus Oxynopterus Paracalais Pyrophorus Selatosomus Semiotu Spinifornax Tetralobus

 

Click beetles (Elateridae family) are called as such because of their unusual physical mechanism they possess. When threatned or if upside down, an Elateridae can “click” it way out of trouble: it can produce a violent snap with its body than will eject the beetle into the air. There are about 7000 species of click beetle known to man.

Click beetle can be found large and colorful (some even with a metallic green) such as in the Campostermus species found in Asia or visually intricate such as Oxynopterus auduoin with its long feathery antennae.