Athous haemorrhoidalis  |
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| One of 65 UK species belonging to the Elateridae group is Athous haemorrhoidalis, more commonly known as Click Beetle. The common name is extremely apt, as the beetle has the ability to flick itself upright should it fall onto it's back. It is able to do this by flexing a well developed joint between the first and second thoracic stermites. This also seems to be used as a defence mechanism if the beetle feels threatened. The beetle photographed is exhibiting two aspects of behaviour. The left photograph shows the beetle in a relaxed and normal state, whilst the photograph on the right, show the beetle in typical defence posture. With too close an approach by the photographer, the beetle pulls it's antennae close into the body, withdraws it's head into the thorax, flexes the front two pairs of legs before flicking into dense foliage.Although A.haemorrhoidalis is a common species, it is quite difficult to approach close enough to be photographed, without the beetle dropping into the grass. Most Click Beetles are dull brown in colour, but a few do posess a metallic sheen and some are even red. | ||
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| UK distribution of Athous
haemorrhoidalis |
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 The UK distribution maps on eakringbirds.com are provided by the National Biodiversity Network (NBN Gateway) Each red square on the map indicates species present in 10km grid squares. Updated September 2011 |
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