Click Beetles

Additional Insect Resources Types of Beetles Types of Insects

Click Beetles (family Elateridae) get their name from the sound they make while bending their body at part of a maneuver to spring themselves from the ground.

Anywhere from three to four hundred North American species have been identified, most medium sized (about one inch) with a long thin body.

The top picture shows an interesting species, the Western Eyed Click Beetle, with a pair of eye spots on the back of the wings that serve as a defense mechanism. At two inches in length, it's a relatively large click beetle species.

© 2009 Patricia A. Michaels