Eyed Click Beetle (Alaus oculatus)

OTHER COMMON NAMES:  Eyed Elater, Eastern Eyed Click Beetle.

SIZE:  Around 1 1/2 inches (40mm).

FOOD:  BugGuide says adult beetles may take some nectar and plant juices.  Larvae are predatory.

The larvae of most click beetles are called wireworms.  Several feed on plant roots and can be serious agricultural pests.  However, the Eyed Elater larva is a meat-eater that feeds on many other noxious larvae, including those of wood-boring beetles, flies, and other undesirables. The large larva (up to two inches) has two powerful jaws to aid in disabling and dismembering prey.

LIFE CYCLE:  Eggs are laid in soil.  Larvae are usually found in decaying wood, under logs and other dark, damp places.  The Eyed Elater spends most of its life in the larval form, perhaps as long as 2-5 years.

RANGE:  Widespread in eastern and central North America.  Usually found in deciduous and mixed forest and woodlands.  Adults are attracted to light.

CLICK BEETLE MECHANICS (from the University of Maryland):  "Click beetles have a remarkable spine on the undersurface of the first segment of the thorax. This spine fits into a notch on the second thoracic body segment just between the legs. The spine and notch are part of the engineering that give this beetle its click. The beetle flexes its body in such a way that the spine quickly releases or snaps with a click. When placed on its back, this snap can catapult the beetle in the air. The beetle often lands right side up. If the beetle lands on its back again, the process is quickly repeated until the beetle gets it right."  (Please see the University of Maryland site for photos of the click beetle's spine and notch.)

THE "EYES":  The large "eyes" on the beetle's pronotum are, of course, only eyespots.  They and the other spots on the beetles mottled body are made up of tiny, light-colored scales similar to scales that make up the patterns on a butterfly's wings.  The eyespots are presumed to distract and confuse would be predators.  The Eyed Elator's true eyes are on its head near the base of the antennae. 

Other Sources and Links:
University of Florida 
Texas A and M University




This post is one of many submitted for the debut issue of a new blog carnival dedicated to "the celebration of beetles—of their indescribable beauty, amazing forms, and astonishing diversity."  The name is taken from a quote by British geneticist and noted evolutionary biologist J.B.S. Haldane. When asked by an English cleric what his studies of nature’s diversity had taught him about the Creator, Haldane reportedly quipped, "He has an inordinate fondness for beetles." An Inordinate Fondness was originated by and is hosted this month by Ted MacRae of Beetles in the Bush.  Thank you, Ted!

 

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Eyed Click Beetle (Alaus oculatus)

Ichneumon Wasp - Subfamily Campopleginae

Ichneumon Wasp - Subfamily Campopleginae

(Photo:  Marvin Smith on 4/17/09)

Ichneumon Wasp - Subfamily Campopleginae (Female)

The majority of Ichneumon Wasps resemble slender wasps but differ from the stinging wasps in having longer antennae with more segments (usually at least 16). Many have long ovipositors, often longer than the body.  There are around 5,000 species of Ichneumon Wasps described in North America.  Some estimate there are another 3,000 North American species as yet undescribed.  The worldwide species number estimate is 60,000.    Ichneumonids are notoriously hard to identify.

What BugGuide says about Subfamily Campopleginae:   They are koinobiont endoparasitoids; hosts are mostly Lepidoptera, Symphyta and a few attack Coleoptera.

 What that means:

Parasites live within or on a host without killing the host.  Parasitoids ultimately kill their hosts.  Koinobiont parasitoids allow the host to continue its development and often do not kill or consume the host until the host is about to either pupate or become an adult. Endoparasitoids develop inside the body of their host.

So ... A female campoplegine oviposits an egg inside the body of a host larva (a caterpillar, usually).  The host larva continues developing into a pupa.  The Ichneumon Wasp egg hatches into a larva which 1.) consumes the host and 2.) benefits from the protection provided by the host's pupal case.  Before the host pupa becomes an adult, the wasp larva finishes it off, emerges and form its own cocoon.  If all goes well, the Ichneumon larva will emerge from its cocoon as an adult wasp.  Campoplegine cocoons look something like a small speck of bird poop.  (Photo here.)  Hosts for this subfamily include butterflies and moths, sawflies and a few beetles.

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Ichneumon Wasp - Subfamily Campopleginae

Toothed Phigalia Moth - Phigalia denticulata

Toothed Phigalia Moth (Male)

(Photo:  Marvin Smith on 1/20/10)

They say the early bird catches the worm. I'm not sure what this early species of moth is trying to catch. Maybe it's trying to give its larvae first choice at the opening leaves of deciduous trees? A Toothed Phigalia was the first moth of the new year I saw here this year and last. In fact, it's likely that Phigalia denticulata (or another Philgalia sp.) will be the first moth seen throughout their range. Being early is the one remarkable feature of this common and fairly nondescript moth. Adult P. denticulata fly from December to April in the south; late March and April in the north.

Range: Ontario and New York to Florida, west to Texas, north to Missouri; also recorded in Utah.

Reproduction: The general rule for moths is: Males find the females. This is especially true for this genus of moths because females have only tiny nub-like wings and are flightless. (A photo of a female Phigalia titea is here.)

Source: BugGuide Species Page

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Toothed Phigalia Moth - Phigalia denticulata