Stats

Lifespan

2-5 yrs

Size

Large

Diet

Insectivore

Activity

Nocturnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Temperate forest

Range

North America

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Warning Colors

Status

Common

About

A large North American click beetle named for the pair of huge false eyespots on its thorax, which startle predators into thinking they've found something much bigger. When flipped on its back, it snaps its body with an audible click to flip upright and escape.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3. 3.
   subadult

   A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Elateridae

Genus

Alaus

Species

Alaus oculatus