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Family Elateridae - Click Beetles

Click - Tesolasomus sexguttatus Dalopius tristis - Dalopius - male Athous ornatipennis? - Athous ornatipennis Something in Dendrometrinae? - Selatosomus Pennsylvania Beetle for ID - Elaterid - Athous acanthus Click beetle - Megapenthes caprella Maybe Conoderus vespertinus - Tobacco Wireworm? - Conoderus vespertinus Paradonus futilis? - Paradonus
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga
No Taxon (Series Elateriformia)
Superfamily Elateroidea
Family Elateridae (Click Beetles)
Other Common Names
Wireworms (larvae)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
see recent updates in (1)
Explanation of Names
Elateridae Leach 1815
see Elater
Numbers
~970 described valid spp. in our area + an estimated 75-100 undescribed(2); ~10,000 spp. in 400 genera worldwide(3)(4) arranged into 17 subfamilies(5)
Overview of our faunaTaxa not yet in the guide are marked (*); classification adapted from(7)(8)
Family ELATERIDAE
Subfamily CEBRIONINAE
Subfamily AGRYPNINAE
Subfamily LISSOMINAE
Subfamily OESTODINAE Bladus · Oestodes
Subfamily DENDROMETRINAE
Subfamily NEGASTRIINAE
Subfamily ELATERINAE
Tribe Agriotini Subtribe Agriotina Agriotes · Dalopius • Subtribe Pomachiliina Idolus · Leptoschema • Subtribe Synaptina Glyphonyx
Tribe Ampedini Subtribe Ampedina Ampedus • Subtribe Dicrepidiina Blauta · Dicrepidius · Dipropus • Subtribe Melanotina Melanotus • Subtribe Physorhinina Anchastus · Physorhinus
Notes:
Ampedus: species with bicarinate pronotal hind angles are sometimes treated in Ectamenogonus Buysson 1893
Ctenicera: in NA, C. kendalli (Kirby) is the only species attributable to this genus; all other species cataloged in this genus are undergoing taxonomic review and will eventually get proper generic placement, with several new genera to be erected to accommodate some species
Size
1-60 mm(2)
Identification
Peculiar in being able to "click" and jump: if placed on their backs, click beetles use the flexible union of the prothorax and mesothorax (the prosternal spine fits into a groove on the mesosternum) to snap and jump usually falling right side up (in other beetles, the union of prothorax and mesothorax allows little or no movement)
A key to NA genera provided in(9)(2)
Southeastern fauna treated in (1)
Helpful image galleries include (10)(11)(12)(13)
Range
worldwide and throughout NA(2)
Habitat
Found in all but aquatic and the most severe arctic and alpine habitats(2): adults on flowers/vegetation or under bark; larvae in rotten logs or soil
Food
Larvae: mostly opportunistic predators. Some saprophagous on decay organisms such as myxomycetes, while soil dwelling species are generally predaceous or omnivorous. Agriotes, Limonius, some Melanotus sp., and Selatosomus sp. are herbivorous on sprouting seeds and roots of seedlings of grasses, and occasionally on roots and tubers of vegetables. Larvae are liquid feeders and possess extra-oral digestion.
Adults: Some are predaceous on soft-bodied sternorrhynchous insects and their honey-dew exudates, but many feed on overripe and decaying fruit, nectar, pollen, floral parts, and fungi.
Print References
Dietrich, H. 1945. The Elateridae of New York State. Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station Memoir 269, 79
pp.
Glen, R. 1950. Larvae of the elaterid beetles of the tribe Lepturoidini (Coleoptera: Elateridae). Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. 111 (11):1–246.
Dogger, J. R. 1959. The Elateridae of Wisconsin: A list of the species found in Wisconsin and keys to the identification of genera of adults and larvae. Wisconsin Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters. 48, 103-120.
Works Cited
1.Click Beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae) of the Southeastern United States
Mathison B.A. 2021. Occasional Papers FSCA 13: 1-414.
2.American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea
Arnett, R.H., Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.). 2002. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.
3.Keys to the insects of the Far East of the USSR, Vol. 3. Coleoptera I
Lehr P.A., ed. 1989. Leningrad, Nauka Publishing House, 572 pp.
4.Order Coleoptera Linnaeus, 1758. In: Zhang Z.-Q. (ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification...
Ślipiński S.A., Leschen R.A.B., Lawrence J.F. 2011. Zootaxa 3148: 203–208.
5.Family-group names in Coleoptera (Insecta)
Bouchard P, Bousquet Y, Davies A, Alonso-Zarazaga M, Lawrence JF, Lyal CH, Newton A, Reid CA, Schmitt M, Ślipiński SA, Smith A. 2011. ZooKeys 88: 1–972.
6.Checklist of the beetles of Maine, USA
Majka C.G., Chandler D.S., Donahue C.P. 2011. Empty Mirrors Press, Halifax. 328 pp.
7.Johnson P.J. (2009) Classification of the Nearctic genera of Elateridae
8.Next step toward a molecular phylogeny of click-beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae): redefinition of Pityobiinae...
Kundrata R., Gunter N.L., Douglas H., Bocak L. 2015. Austral Entomology 55: 291–302.
9.Johnson P.J. (2003) Key to the Nearctic genera of Elateridae
10.Dušánek V., Mertlik J. (2004-2021) Click Beetles of the Palearctic Region
11.Johnson P.J. (-2013) Elateridae of Canada and the Continental United States
12.Borowiec L. (2007-) Iconographia Coleopterorum Poloniae
13.Benisch C. (2007-) kerbtier.de – Beetle fauna of Germany