Elateroidea

Classification

Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Superfamily: Elateroidea

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Elateroidea: /ˌɛlətɛˈrɔɪdiə/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

PodabrusDiadema1 by Smidon33. Used under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license.

Podabrus flavicollis P1590221a by
xpda. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Podabrus brevicollis 19393125 by Nick Block. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

PodabrusDiadema2 by Smidon33. Used under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license.

Podabrus pruinosus (27892219787) by Donald Hobern from Copenhagen, Denmark. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Podabrus brevicollis 38538969 by Ken Kneidel. Used under a CC0 license.

Summary

The Elateroidea are a diverse superfamily of beetles, including click beetles, fireflies, and soldier beetles, with approximately 25,000 species and notable bioluminescent abilities among various families.

Physical Characteristics

Morphologically diverse group including hard-bodied beetles with 5 abdominal ventrites and soft-bodied beetles with 7-8 ventrites connected with membranes. Typically narrow and parallel-sided as adults.

Identification Tips

Look for clicking mechanism in sclerotized elateroids, a peg on the prothorax that fits into a cavity in the mesothorax, and usually narrow body shape.

Life Cycle

Females in several lineages do not pupate, remaining in a larval form; this trait evolved independently at least three times within the superfamily.

Predators

Many species have bright aposematic colors signaling to predators that they are poisonous.

Evolution

Molecular and morphological analyses suggest a close relationship with Byrrhoidea, which may be monophyletic or paraphyletic.