Wireworm-predator

Guides

• Alaus oculatus

  Eastern Eyed Click Beetle, Eyed Elater

  Alaus oculatus, commonly called the eastern eyed click beetle or eyed elater, is a large, striking click beetle native to eastern North America. Adults reach 25–45 mm in length and are immediately recognizable by the prominent false eyespots on their pronotum—large oval patches of dark scales framed in white that function in predator deterrence. The beetle possesses a remarkable clicking mechanism: a prosternal spine and mesosternal notch that, when flexed and released, produce an audible snap capable of launching the beetle several inches into the air. This behavior serves both defensive and righting functions. The larvae are predatory wireworms that inhabit decaying wood, feeding voraciously on other beetle larvae, particularly cerambycids.

  click-beetleeyed-elaterdefensive-mimicrypredatory-larvaforest-beetleNorth-AmericaElateridaeAlauswireworm-predatorbiomechanicsthanatosiseyespotswoodland-habitatspring-emergencedecaying-wood