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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Click, Firefly and Soldier Beetles (Elateroidea) » Click Beetles (Elateridae) » Agrypninae » Hemirhipini » Alaus » Blind Click Beetle (Alaus myops)

Species Alaus myops - Blind Click Beetle

Classification · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Works Cited

Blind Click Beetle and tick - Alaus myops

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles)

Superfamily Elateroidea (Click, Firefly and Soldier Beetles)

Family Elateridae (Click Beetles)

Subfamily Agrypninae

Tribe Hemirhipini

Genus Alaus

Species myops (Blind Click Beetle)

Other Common Names

Small-eyed Click Beetle (1), Blind Elater (2)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Orig. Comb: Elater myops Fabricius, 1801

Explanation of Names

myops - Greek for short-sighted (3)

Numbers

5 spp. n. of Mex. (4)

Size

24-45 mm

Identification

Similar to A. oculatus but smaller, narrower, and the eyespots on the pronotum much smaller. More mottled, less glossy black; elytral striae finer. Flies earlier in year (spring).

Range

TX-FL-PQ-SD (5),(6), most common in se. US (BG data)

Habitat

Pine and mixed pine/deciduous forests (7). Seems to be associated with southeastern pine forests?

Season

Spring (April-June), apparently about earlier than the related A. oculatus, which flies in mid-summer (pers. observation, P. Coin, Durham, NC)

Food

Adults probably feed little, but may visit flowers, "weeps".

Life Cycle

Larvae are predatory on beetle larvae in pines (8)

Works Cited

1.	Introduction to North American Beetles By Charles S. Papp

2.	A Manual of Common Beetles of Eastern North America By Dillon, Elizabeth S., and Dillon, Lawrence

3.	Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms By Donald J. Borror

4.	American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea By Arnett, R.H., Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.)

5.	An Illustrated Inventory of the beetles (Coleoptera) of Lick Creek Park, College Station, Texas By Edward G. Riley, 2011

6.	A distributional checklist of the beetles (Coleoptera) of Florida By Peck & Thomas. 1998.

7.	Insects of North Carolina By C.S. Brimley

8.	Eastern Forest Insects By Whiteford L. Baker

Contributed by Cotinis on 25 April, 2004 - 9:28pm
Additional contributions by Stephen Cresswell, Mike Quinn, v belov
Last updated 10 April, 2012 - 9:27pm

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