Click Beetle Ampedus balteatus (Linnaeus, 1758)

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Classification Coleoptera Family: Elateridae

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Size: 7-10mm.

Phenology

Description Pronotum and head are black, with predominantly red elytra turning black around two thirds down their length. Deep pits form distinct lines down the length of the elytra. Femora and tibia are black, with red/orange tarsi. Antennae are black and extend to the posterior edge of the pronotum.

Life Cycle Larvae develops in various tree species and utilises rotten stumps and branches. Pupation occurs in the autumn and the ecloses, with the imago insect wintering in the pupa. Imagos are diurnal and can be found resting sometimes quite conspicuously in foliage.

Habitat – Diverse ranging from broadleaved and mixed woodland to heathland to peat moorlands.

By Udo Schmidt from Deutschland (Ampedus balteatus (Linné, 1758)) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons