Click Beetle - Facts, Information & Pictures (original) (raw)
Click beetles belong to the family Elateridae. They are sometimes called ‘elaters’, ‘skipjacks’, ‘snapping beetles’ or ‘spring beetles’. Click beetles are a cosmopolitan family characterized by the unusual clicking mechanism they have. There are a few closely-related families in which a few members have the same mechanism, but all elaterids can click.
A spine on the prosternum can be snapped into a corresponding notch on the mesosternum, producing a violent clicking sound which can bounce the beetle into the air. Clicking is mainly used to avoid predation, although it is also useful when the beetle is on its back and needs to right itself. There are about 7,000 known species.
Click beetles can be large and colorful (some are brilliant metallic green). Most of these beetles are small to medium-sized, dull in color and grow to about 2 centimetres in length. The adults are typically nocturnal (active only at night) and phytophagous (a form of predation in which an organism known as an herbivore, consumes principally autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria).
In hot weather, Click beetles are prone to enter peoples houses at night if entrances such as windows are left opened. The larvae of a few species, called ‘wireworms’, can be serious pests of corn and other grains, especially after a field has been left fallow (a field that has been left to grow naturally without help from nutriants or farming).
Wireworms (Click Beetle larvae) are long, slender and cylinder shaped or sometimes flattened and relatively hard-shelled for larvae. The three pairs of legs on the thorax segments are short and the last abdominal segment is directed downwards to serve as a terminal proleg. They may pass a long life (two or three years) in the soil, feeding on the roots of plants and they often cause much damage to farm crops especially to cereals.
Appearance and Identification
While the majority of Click Beetle species are fairly plain in appearance, the family as a whole shows a surprisingly wide range of colours, patterns and sizes. The body is typically elongated and somewhat flattened, with a smooth or lightly textured surface to the elytra. The head is small and partially hidden beneath the pronotum, which is the plate that covers the upper surface of the thorax. This plate has distinctive rear corners that taper to pointed tips, a feature that helps identify Click Beetles even when they are at rest.
In some tropical species the colouring is quite spectacular, with iridescent green, blue or copper tones that make them among the more eye-catching members of the beetle world. A number of species in Central and South America possess bioluminescent spots on the pronotum that glow in the dark, making them genuinely remarkable insects. In the more temperate species encountered across Europe and North America, the colouring tends toward brown, grey and black, often with faint banding or mottling that provides camouflage against bark and soil.
The Clicking Mechanism
The clicking ability that gives this family its common name is one of the most distinctive defensive mechanisms found in any insect. When a Click Beetle finds itself in danger or lands upside down, it arches its body and then snaps it straight with considerable force. This rapid movement drives the prosternal spine into the notch on the mesosternum with an audible click, launching the beetle several centimetres into the air. The beetle tumbles unpredictably as it falls, making it much harder for a predator to track and catch.
The height and force of the jump is impressive relative to the size of the insect. Studies have shown that the beetle can accelerate at a rate many times greater than that experienced by a human in a fast sports car, making the click mechanism one of the most powerful acceleration events recorded in the insect world relative to body size. The beetle may need to attempt the click several times before landing the right way up, but once it does, it typically runs or flies to safety immediately.
Habitat and Distribution
Click Beetles are found on every continent except Antarctica and occupy a wide range of habitats. Woodland and forest edges are among the most typical environments, where the adults can be found resting on vegetation, feeding on flowers or sheltering beneath bark. Many species are also common in grassland, farmland and gardens, particularly where there is loose soil or decaying wood for the larvae to develop in.
The adults are most active during the warmer months of the year and are frequently attracted to light at night, which explains why they sometimes find their way indoors during summer. During the day they tend to remain hidden in crevices, beneath bark or within dense vegetation, emerging after dark to feed and search for mates.
Wireworms and Agricultural Impact
The larval stage of the Click Beetle is where the species has its most significant impact on human activity. Wireworms live entirely underground and can remain in the soil for two to three years before pupating, feeding steadily on the roots and underground stems of a wide variety of crop plants throughout this time. Cereals, potatoes, carrots, beets and grass seed are among the crops most commonly affected, and damage is often worst in fields that have recently been converted from grassland, where wireworm populations in the soil tend to be at their highest. Managing wireworm infestations remains a challenge for farmers, as the larvae are difficult to detect before damage is already visible above ground.
Check out more animals that begin with the letter C
Sources & References
Cite This Page
APA
Joanne Spencer (2026, April 9). Click Beetle. Animal Corner. Retrieved 2026, May 18, from https://animalcorner.org/animals/click-beetle/
MLA
Joanne Spencer. "Click Beetle." Animal Corner, 2026, April 9, https://animalcorner.org/animals/click-beetle/.
Click to copy
Joanne Spencer is the founder and lead writer at Animal Corner, where she has been researching and writing about wildlife since 2005. With over 19 years of experience in animal behavior, ecology, and conservation, Joanne has authored hundreds of species profiles and educational guides covering mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and marine life. Her work draws on field observations, peer-reviewed research, and partnerships with conservation organizations to deliver accurate, accessible animal information for students, educators, and wildlife enthusiasts worldwide.