Elateridae or click beetles are a family of beetles. Other names include elaters, snapping beetles, spring beetles or skipjacks. This family was defined by William Elford Leach (1790–1836) in 1815. They are a cosmopolitan beetle family characterized by the unusual click mechanism they possess. There are a few other families of Elateroidea in which a few members have the same mechanism, but most elaterid subfamilies can click. A spine on the prosternum can be snapped into a corresponding notch on the mesosternum, producing a violent "click" that can bounce the beetle into the air. Clicking is mainly used to avoid predation, although it is also useful when the beetle is on its back and needs to right itself. There are about 9300 known species worldwide, and 965 valid species in North America.
The Elateroidea are a large superfamily of beetles. It contains the familiar click beetles, fireflies, and soldier beetles and their relatives. It consists of about 25,000 species.
Agrypnus murinus is a species of click beetle belonging to the family Elateridae subfamily Agrypninae.
Cidnopus pilosus is a species of click beetle belonging to the subfamily Dendrometrinae of the family Elateridae.
Denticollis linearis is a species of click beetle belonging to the family Elateridae subfamily Dendrometrinae.
Actenicerus is a genus of click beetle belonging to the family Elateridae, subfamily Dendrometrinae.
Hemicrepidius hirtus is a species of click beetle belonging to the family Elateridae.
Athous vittatus is a species of beetle in the family Elateridae and the genus Athous.
Pyropterus nigroruber is a species of net-winged beetles belonging to the family Lycidae.
Tetralimonius quercus is a species of click beetle belonging to the family Elateridae, formerly placed in the genus Pheletes.
Athous bicolor is a species of click beetle.
Amychus granulatus, commonly known as the Cook Strait click beetle, is a large flightless click beetle in the family Elateridae.
Campylomorphus homalisinus is a species of beetles belonging to the family Elateridae, and the sole member of the genus Campylomorphus.
Elater ferrugineus, the rusty click beetle, is a species of click beetle belonging to the family Elateridae.
Prosternon tessellatum, the chequered click beetle, is a species of click beetle belonging to the family Elateridae.
Selatosomus melancholicus is a species of click beetles native to Europe. This species is in the subgenus Pristilophus, which some authorities treat as a separate genus.
Rhagonycha lignosa is a species of soldier beetles native to Europe.
Ctenicera virens is a species of click beetles.
Megathous nigerrimus is a species of click beetles in the family Elateridae.
Athous emaciatus is a species of click beetle in the genus Athous.
