Selatosomus festivus

The genus Selatosomus is distinguished within Elateridae by metallic, often iridescent coloration. Species-level identification of S. festivus requires examination of specific morphological characters including pronotal shape, elytral striation patterns, and coloration details. Accurate identification typically requires reference to taxonomic keys and comparison with closely related Selatosomus species.

Recorded from the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, and Saskatchewan. This distribution indicates a primarily western and central Canadian range, with records spanning from the prairie provinces to the Pacific coast and north to the Northwest Territories.

As a member of Elateridae, possesses the characteristic 'click' mechanism: a prosternal spine fits into a mesosternal groove, allowing the beetle to snap its body and launch itself into the air to escape predators or right itself when overturned.

• Other Selatosomus speciesCongeneric species share metallic coloration and overall click beetle morphology, requiring careful examination for species-level separation
• Other metallic ElateridaeSeveral elaterid genera exhibit similar metallic coloration; identification relies on specific structural characters of the thoracic clicking mechanism and body proportions

• Coleoptera
• Elateridae
• click beetle
• Canada
• Nearctic

• BugGuide
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Glorious Earthworms - Buglife Blog - Buglife