Elateridae
Taxonomic pacing: Insecta, Holometabola, Coleoptera.
Common name: Click beetles.
Geographical distribution: Cosmopolitan, with about 9300 known species worldwide.
Morphology: Beetles with elongated, flat bodies, whose head and thorax are often colored differently from the elytra, and the head may be placed under the thorax. The elytra bear longitudinal stripes. The larvae, usually called wireworms, are elongate, brownish and tough-skinned.
Life history: Elaterids are nocturnal, usually living at ground level and feeding on available dead or live soft plant material. Some species are serious pests of certain crops, especially potatoes. Development often requires several years, spent in the soil. Elaterids have the ability to “jump” when lying on their backs, an activity that palces them on their legs. This activity produces a characteristic “click” sound, hence “click beetles”. Being subterranean, they quickly locate foods by following carbon dioxide gradients produced by plants.
Species of the genus Pyrophorus glow in the dark.
Economic importance: Elaterids damage various crops, including potato (especially Agriotes lineatus), strawberry, corn, and wheat, and are hard to control due to their subterranean habits.
References
Barsics, F., Haubruge, E. and Verheggen, F.J. 2013. Wireworms’ management: An overview of the existing methods, with particular regards to Agriotes spp. (Coleoptera: Elateridae). Insects 4: 117-152.
Parker, W.E. and Howard, J.J. 2001. The biology and management of wireworms (Agriotes spp.) on potato with particular reference to the U.K. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 3: 85-98.
Toth, M. 2013. Pheromones and attractants of click beetles: an overview. Journal of Pest Science 86: 3-17.
Traugott, M., Benefer, C.M., Blackshaw, R.P., van Herk, W.G. and Vernon, R.S. 2016. Biology, ecology, and control of elaterid beetles in agricultural land. Annual Review of Entomology 60: 313-334.