# Eastern Eyed Click Beetle

*Alaus oculatus*

The two enormous 'eyes' on its back are actually false eyespots designed to terrify predators; its real eyes are tiny and located on its head.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Coleoptera › Elateridae › Alaus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Deciduous forests, orchards, and woodlands with abundant decaying hardwood logs.
- **Diet:** Larvae are predatory, eating wood-boring beetle grubs. Adults consume nectar, plant sap, and sweet juices.
- **Range:** Eastern North America, Central America
- **Size:** 2.5 to 4.5 cm (1 to 1.75 inches)
- **Lifespan:** 1 to 2 years
- **Active:** nocturnal
- **Threats:** Deforestation and the overly tidy removal of dead, decaying logs which are crucial for larval development.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless to humans. They do not bite or sting. If handled gently, they may perform their signature 'click' flip to escape your hand, which is harmless but startling. Observe them closely to admire their false eyespots.

## About

Alaus oculatus , commonly called the eastern eyed click beetle or eyed elater , is a species of click beetle.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/dc7713a4-678f-4f93-b6a4-e2011b74f55e
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/81706
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaus oculatus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/9448695/medium.jpg (Katja Schulz, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.