Common Click Beetle vs Click Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Common Click Beetle Click Beetle
Scientific Name Agriotes sputator Alaus oculatus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Elateridae Elateridae
Size 6-8 mm 25-45 mm
Habitat Farmland Underground
Diet Root Feeders Predators
Regions Europe, Western Asia North America
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.

Click Beetle

Has a special mechanism that allows it to snap its body with a click, launching itself up to 30 cm into the air. The large eyespots on its thorax startle predators.

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Did You Know?

Click beetles launch themselves into the air without using their legs — they use a peg-and-groove mechanism on their thorax that releases like a spring, reaching accelerations of 400g.