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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Elateriformia » Elateroidea » Click Beetles (Elateridae)

Family Elateridae - Click Beetles

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

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 + 75‒100 undescribed(2); ~10,000 spp. in 400 genera worldwide(3)(4) arranged into 17 subfamilies(5)

ME checklist(6)

Overview of our faunaTaxa not yet in the guide are marked (*); classification adapted from(7)(8)

Family ELATERIDAE

Subfamily CEBRIONINAE

Tribe Cebrionini Scaptolenus · Selonodon

Tribe Aplastini Aplastus · Euthysanius · Octinodes

Subfamily AGRYPNINAE

Tribe Agrypnini Agrypnus · Danosoma · Lacon · Meristhus · Rismethus

Tribe Oophorini Aeolus · Conoderus · Deronocus · Heteroderes

Tribe Pseudomelanactini Anthracalaus · Lanelater

Tribe Pyrophorini Deilelater · Ignelater · Vesperelater

Tribe Hemirhipini Alaus · Chalcolepidius · Pherhimius

Subfamily LISSOMINAE

Tribe Lissomini Drapetes

Subfamily OESTODINAE Bladus · Oestodes

Subfamily PITYOBIINAE Pityobius

Subfamily OXYNOPTERINAE Dixicollis · Melanactes · Oistus · Perissarthron

Subfamily DENDROMETRINAE

Tribe Dendrometrini Subtribe Dendrometrina Athous · Elathous · Euplastius · Gambrinus · Limonius · Nitidolimonius · Pheletes · Tetralimonius · Vittathous • Subtribe Denticollina Denticollis • Subtribe Hemicrepidiina Diacanthous · Hemicrepidius

Tribe Prosternini Acteniceromorphus · Actenicerus · Anostirus · Anthracopteryx · Athoplastus · Beckerus · Brownia · Corymbitodes · Ctenicera · Eanus · Hadromorphus · Hypoganus · Laneganus · Liotrichus · Metanomus · Neopristilophus · Oxygonus · Paractenicera · Proludius · Prosternon · Pseudanostirus · Selatosomus · Setasomus · Stropenron · Sylvanelater · Tesolasomus

Tribe Hypnoidini Ascoliocerus · Berninelsonius · *Desolakkerus · Hypnoidus · Hypolithus · Ligmargus · *Margaiostus

Subfamily NEGASTRIINAE

Tribe Negastriini Fleutiauxellus · Microhypnus · Migiwa · Negastrius · Neohypdonus · Oedostethus · Paradonus · Zorochros

Subfamily ELATERINAE

Tribe Elaterini Campylomorphus · Diplostethus · Dolerosomus · Elater · Mulsanteus · Orthostethus · Parallelostethus · Sericus

Tribe Megapenthini Megapenthes

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

Subfamily CARDIOPHORINAE Aphricus · Aptopus · Cardiophorus · Esthesopus · Floridelater · Horistonotus · Paracardiophorus

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

key to NA genera in(9)(2)

Southeastern fauna treated in (1)

image galleries (10), extralimital: (11)(12)(13)

Range

worldwide and throughout NA(2)

Habitat

all but aquatic and the most severe arctic/alpine habitats(2): adults on vegetation or under bark; larvae in rotten wood or soil

Food

Larvae: mostly opportunistic predators, some saprophagous; soil-dwelling species mostly predaceous or omnivorous. Agriotes, Limonius, some Melanotus and Selatosomus spp. feed on sprouting seeds and roots of seedlings of grasses, and occasionally on roots and tubers of vegetables.

Adults: Some prey on soft-bodied insects, but many feed on overripe and decaying fruit, nectar, pollen, floral parts, and fungi.

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.	Johnson P.J. (-2013) Elateridae of Canada and the Continental United States

11.	Dušánek V., Mertlik J. (2004-2021) Click Beetles of the Palearctic Region

12.	Borowiec L. (2007-) Iconographia Coleopterorum Poloniae

13.	Benisch C. (2007-) kerbtier.de – Beetle fauna of Germany

Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Stephen_WV, Beatriz Moisset, Ethanjf, Phillip Harpootlian, Lynette Elliott, Mike Quinn, Tim Moyer, Boris Bueche, v belov, bmathison1972, Arturo Santos
Last updated 27 October, 2024 - 11:24am

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