Sumac Flea Beetle vs Arctic Click Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Sumac Flea Beetle Arctic Click Beetle
Scientific Name Blepharida rhois Hypnoidus riparius
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Elateridae
Size 6-8 mm 4-7 mm
Habitat Heathland Tundra & Arctic
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Eastern North America Scandinavia, Iceland, Scotland, northern Russia, Arctic Canada
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Sumac Flea Beetle

A relatively large flea beetle with a mottled brown and tan pattern providing excellent camouflage on sumac bark. Despite its size, it retains the powerful jumping ability of flea beetles.

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Did You Know?

Larvae of this beetle carry a shield of their own excrement mixed with toxic compounds from their sumac host plant.

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.