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Click Beetle

What is click beetle?

· Emily Grant

Key facts

Family Elateridae[1]
Order Coleoptera[4]
Common names elaters, snapping beetles, spring beetles, skipjacks[3]
Larvae name wireworms[5]

Click beetles are beetles in the family Elateridae, named for the clicking sound they make when flipping themselves upright. They are related to dung beetles but belong to a different family.

Context

Click beetles belong to the family Elateridae and are known for their distinctive clicking sound [1]. They use a spine on the prosternum that snaps into a notch on the mesosternum to flip themselves into the air [1]. This behavior helps them right themselves when upside down and escape predators [2]. Their larvae are called wireworms [5].

Documented claims

  • Click beetles are a family of beetles, not a single species. [1]
  • Their clicking mechanism can flip them into the air. [1]
  • The click is used to right themselves and to escape predators. [2]

Related

Stag BeetleBoth are common beetle families that readers may want to compare.Hercules BeetleBoth are large, well-known beetles often featured in nature guides.

Questions and answers

Are click beetles harmful?

Click beetles are not harmful to humans; they do not bite or sting [6].

Can you touch a click beetle?

Yes, you can touch a click beetle; they are harmless to people [6].

What is a click beetle called?

Click beetles are also called elaters, snapping beetles, spring beetles, or skipjacks [3].

Sources

  1. Click Beetles - Home and Garden IPM from Cooperative Extension — extension.umaine.edu (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  2. Family Elateridae – ENT 425 – General Entomology — genent.cals.ncsu.edu (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  3. Click Beetles | VCE Publications - Virginia Tech — pubs.ext.vt.edu (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  4. Kids' Inquiry of Diverse Species, Elateridae, click beetles — biokids.umich.edu (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  5. CLICK BEETLE Definition & Meaning — merriam-webster.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  6. Click Beetles: What to Know — webmd.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)

Sources last checked August 3, 2026. · More in Nature