Black-and-white Click Beetle

The Black-and-White Click Beetle can flip itself right-side-up if rolled onto its back - its powerful spine helping to send it airborne.

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Image Credit: John F. of California.

Full-sized image #1 of the Black-and-white Click Beetle

Thumbnail image #1 of the Black-and-white Click Beetle

TAXONOMY:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Elateridae

Genus: Chalcolepidius

Species: webbi

A desert-dwelling beetle in the Southwest and Mexico, the Black-and-white Click Beetle feeds on plants that can tolerate the arid, hot conditions. The long, slender beetle is mostly black, but its large, pronotum looks whitewashed with the black color peeking through down the middle. The wing coverings are also bordered with the same white color. Some beetles have less white coloring; some have more.

A surprising defensive behavior allows this beetle to escape predators. It uses a small spine to flick itself upward and away from danger. This same mechanism is also useful for flipping an upside down beetle back onto its feet. The snapping of the spine makes an audible clicking noise. Black-and-white Click Beetles are often found alone, wandering the ground between plants and trees.©BeetleIdentification.org

The Black-and-white Click Beetle is typically 0.9 inches to 1.4 inches (25mm to 38mm) in size and has the following descriptors / identifiers: white; black; grey; gray; winged; click; long; patterned; spotted; striped; blue; flying; flipping.

Color Identification Guide

Various colors commonly associated with this beetle.

White

Gray

Black

Beetle Anatomy

Territorial Area Map (Visual Reference Guide)

The map below showcases (in blue) the states and territories of North America where the Black-and-white Click Beetle may be found (but is not limited to). This sort of data can be useful in seeing concentrations of a particular species over the continent as well as revealing possible migratory patterns over a species' given lifespan. Some species are naturally confined by environment, weather, mating habits, food resources and the like while others see widespread expansion across most, or all, of North America.

Alaska

Hawaii

Prince Edward Is.

Contiguous United States shape map layer graphic

Arizona

California

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