Sweet Click Beetle

Aeolus mellillus

The rapid clicking mechanism accelerates the beetle at forces exceeding 100G, producing an audible 'snap' that startles potential predators.

Scientific name: Aeolus mellillus
Taxonomy: Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Coleoptera › Elateridae › Aeolus
IUCN Red List status: Least Concern
Population trend: stable
Biome: grassland
Habitat: Grassy fields, meadows, agricultural land, and suburban gardens.
Diet: Adults feed on nectar, pollen, and plant sap; larvae (wireworms) feed on organic matter, roots, and small soil invertebrates.
Range: North America, United States, Southern Canada
Size: 5 to 8 mm (0.2 to 0.3 inches)
Lifespan: 1 to 2 years
Active: crepuscular
Threats: Broad-spectrum chemical pesticide application and intensive soil tilling that disrupts larval development.
Safe to approach?: Completely harmless to humans. If you find one on its back, place it on a flat surface to watch it perform its signature escape click to right itself. Handle gently and release into grassy vegetation.

Photo: Owen Strickland, CC-BY, via iNaturalist