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.
Glowworm or glow-worm is the common name for various groups of insect larvae and adult larviform females that glow through bioluminescence. They include the European common glow-worm and other members of the Lampyridae, but bioluminescence also occurs in the families Elateridae, Phengodidae and Rhagophthalmidae among beetles; as well as members of the genera Arachnocampa, Keroplatus and Orfelia among keroplatid fungus gnats.
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.
Ignelater luminosus is a bioluminescent species of click beetle native to the island of Puerto Rico, one of several Caribbean species in the genus Ignelater that are known as cucubanos. Cucubanos are often confused with fireflies, which are in a different family (Lampyridae), but they emit light from the thorax, unlike true fireflies. Their paired prothorax light organs and single light organ on the anterior surface of the abdomen gives the appearance of two "headlights" and one "backlight", which it can turn off independently.
Pyrophorus noctilucus, common name headlight elater, is a species of click beetle.
Pyrearinus is a genus of click beetle.
Monocrepidius is a genus of click beetles in the family Elateridae. The genus has often been cited as Conoderus, but of the two names for this genus published simultaneously in 1829, the one selected by the First Reviser under the ICZN was Monocrepidius, rendering Conoderus the junior synonym.
Elaterinae is a subfamily of click beetles in the family Elateridae, containing 12 tribes worldwide.
Agrypnini is a tribe of click beetles in the family Elateridae.
Agrypninae is a subfamily of click beetles in the family Elateridae. There are at least 130 genera and more than 430 described species in Agrypninae.
Ignelater is a genus of click beetle. They are one of several genera in the tribe Pyrophorini, all of which are bioluminescent. This genus was established by Cleide Costa in 1975. Most of the species were formerly in the genus Pyrophorus.
Deilelater is a genus of click beetles in the family Elateridae. They are one of several genera in the tribe Pyrophorini, all of which are bioluminescent. This genus was established by Cleide Costa in 1975, with 7 species split from Pyrophorus.
Vesperelater is a genus of click beetle. They are one of several genera in the tribe Pyrophorini, all of which are bioluminescent. This genus was established by Cleide Costa in 1975, with 4 species split from Pyrophorus.
The Pyrophorini are a New World taxonomic tribe within the Elateridae subfamily Agrypninae. Pyrophorini is a tribe of bioluminescent beetles, and includes such genera as Pyrophorus and Ignelater.
The Oophorini form an accepted taxonomic tribe within the Elateridae subfamily Agrypninae.
Campyloxeninae is a subfamily of click beetles in the family Elateridae. It was established by Cleide Costa in 1975 with the genus Campyloxenus, former member of the tribe Pyrophorini under the subfamily Agrypninae, as the only member. In 2015, genus Malalcahuello was described from Chile as a new member of this subfamily.
Ampedus is a genus of click beetles in the family Elateridae. There are currently 461 recognized species of Ampedus beetles. It has a cosmopolitan distribution, but is found mostly in the Holarctic region, primarily in North America, Europe, and Asia. The oldest known fossil from this genus was found in Eocene Baltic amber, estimated to be from 38.0 to 33.9 million years ago.
Dipropus is a genus of click beetles in the family Elateridae. There are around 150 described species in Dipropus, found in North, Central, and South America.
Hypsiophthalmus is a genus of click beetles in the family Elateridae. They are one of several genera in the tribe Pyrophorini. This genus was established by French zoologist Pierre André Latreille in 1834 posthumously and then reviewed by Cleide Costa in 1975 and in 1979.
Opselater is a genus of click beetle. They are one of several genera in the tribe Pyrophorini, all of which are bioluminescent. This genus was established by Cleide Costa in 1975. After a revision of the genus by Simone Policena Rosa, she stated some members of this genus are polyphyletic with Lygelater bifossulatus(Candèze, 1865), which discouraged her from establishing any new genus in this part of Pyrophorini due to alternative resolutions and ambiguity.
