Common Click Beetle vs Chorus Cicada

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Common Click Beetle Chorus Cicada
Scientific Name Agriotes sputator Amphipsalta zelandica
Order Coleoptera Hemiptera
Family Elateridae Cicadidae
Size 6-8 mm 25-35 mm
Habitat Farmland Underground
Diet Root Feeders Root Feeders
Regions Europe, Western Asia Oceania (New Zealand)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Common Click Beetle

A small, uniformly brown click beetle that is one of the most common wireworm pests in European agriculture. Adults are often found on flowers and grasses in spring and early summer.

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Did You Know?

The clicking mechanism that gives the family its name involves a peg-and-groove structure on the thorax that stores and releases elastic energy.

Chorus Cicada

The most common and widespread cicada in New Zealand, producing the iconic summer chorus heard throughout the country. Nymphs spend several years underground feeding on root sap before emerging to moult into adults. Males produce their characteristic song using tymbal organs.

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Did You Know?

The chorus cicada's distinctive whirring call is so emblematic of New Zealand summers that it has become a cultural symbol of the season.