Arctic Click Beetle vs Hairy Christmas Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Arctic Click Beetle Hairy Christmas Beetle
Scientific Name Hypnoidus riparius Anoplognathus hirsutus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Elateridae Scarabaeidae
Size 4-7 mm 18-25 mm
Habitat Tundra & Arctic Woodlands
Diet Herbivores Root Feeders
Regions Scandinavia, Iceland, Scotland, northern Russia, Arctic Canada Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Arctic Click Beetle

A small, brown click beetle with a distinctive snapping mechanism that allows it to flip itself upright when overturned. Larvae are wireworms that live in tundra soil. Adults are found under stones and in low vegetation.

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Did You Know?

When flipped on its back, this beetle arches its body and snaps a spine on its thorax into a groove, launching itself into the air with an audible click.

Hairy Christmas Beetle

A densely hairy golden-brown Christmas beetle found in southeastern Australia. The fine hairs covering its body distinguish it from other Anoplognathus species.

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Did You Know?

The dense body hair is thought to help regulate temperature during cool summer evenings.