Adult eyed click beetle, Alaus oculatus.
(Photographer: James Castner, University of Florida)
Adult male and female click beetles of the same species are similar in appearance. Click beetles range from 3 mm to 5 cm in length. Click beetles are not brightly colored, as body colors range from brown to grayish-black or black. Some of the darker species have white flecks that cover the body. The large "false eyes" on the thorax of some adults are characteristic of a few species in the genus Alaus. The larvae are armored in appearance, smooth, robust and vary in color from a yellow to a dark brown.
The larvae of predaceous species prey on wood-boring beetle larvae and other soft-bodied arthropods.
Click beetles are found throughout the United States in rotting stumps of oak, apple, pine, and cherry trees, as well as logs.
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