| Elateridae |
| Click Beetles of Nottinghamshire |
| Click Beetles belong to the Elateridae group, of which the UK has 65 species. An interest in Nottinghamshire Elateridae and Beetles in general, began a few years ago and has continued to develop ever since. These photographs (hopefully) at least begin to fill in another gap in Nottinghamshire's fauna resources, available via the internet. | ||
| .... | ||
| Nottinghamshire has it's
fair share of click beetles, with the more ancient parts
of Sherwood Forest being particularly notable for it's
range of species, some of which we have so far managed to
find and identify and which are shown here. Some species
are fairly widespread across the county, whilst some are
much rarer and have proved very difficult to find. Click Beetles get their name from their ability to flick themselves upright should they fall onto their backs, but it is more frequently used as a defence mechanism when the beetle feels threatened. They are able to do this by flexing a well developed joint between the first and second thoracic stermites. Many Click Beetles are quite drab in appearance, but there are exceptions, of which the Ampedus group are the most colourful. |
 |
|
| .... | ||
 |
Unfortunately, these
beetles are uncommon and are greatly restricted by
habitat requirements. Although any of the Ampedus
group can be stumbled upon quite accidentally, it usually
takes a great deal of searching before success. The best
place to have any chance at all of seeing one of these
striking beetles, is in Sherwood Forest (shown on the
left) which is a site that I always took for granted and
thought little of, until my fauna interest broadened
considerably. From May and throughout much of the Summer months, Click Beetles can be found. Athous haemorrhoidalis is the most abundant species of all, but some of the smaller species can be equally as common, but more difficult to find due to their very small size. Below are short species summaries of all the click beetles we have recorded to date. Accompanying photographs are all taken in the field. Correct identification of many species can be difficult and we have taken great care to ensure that all species shown here are correct. Click Beetles make an interesting study for any naturalist wishing to broaden their interests. |
|
| .... | ||
| Click Beetle larvae live undergound, living on roots and decaying plant material. The adults feed on vegetation, either flowers, leaves and also take both nectar and pollen. The larvae of some species, can be serious pests of root crops. | ||
| Species photographs | ||||
Agriotes
obscurus
|
Agriotes
pallidulus
|
|||
| Photographed at Sherwood Forest CP May 2009 | Photographed at Sherwood Forest CP May 2008 | |||
 |
 |
|||
Agriotes
sputator
|
Ampedus
balteatus
|
|||
| Photographed at Budby South Forest April 2009 | Photographed at Clipstone Old Quarter May 2006 | |||
 |
 |
|||
Ampedus
cardinalis
|
Ampedus
pomorum
|
|||
| Photographed at Clipstone Old Quarter July 2008 | Photographed at Sherwood Forest CP May 2007 | |||
 |
 |
|||
Ampedus
quercicola
|
Athous
bicolor
|
|||
| Photographed at Sherwood Forest CP May 2008 | Photographed at Eakring Flash July 2008 | |||
 |
 |
|||
Athous
haemorrhoidalis
|
Athous
subfuscus
|
|||
| Photographed at Eakring Flash May 2006 | Photographed at Clipstone Old Quarter May 2006 | |||
 |
 |
|||
Dalopius
marginatus
|
Denticollis
linearis
|
|||
| Photographed at Sherwood Forest CP May 2008 | Photographed at Sherwood Forest CP May 2008 | |||
 |
 |
|||
Hemicrepidus
hirtus
|
Kibunea
minuta
|
|||
| Photographed at Eakring Flash June 2008 | Photographed at Sherwood Forest CP May 2009 | |||
 |
 |
|||
Melanotus
castanipes
|
Melanotus
villosus
|
|||
| Photographed at Clipstone Old Quarter May 2008 | Photographed at Clipstone Old Quarter May 2008 | |||
 |
 |
|||
Prosternon
tessellatum
|
Selatosomus
aeneus
|
|||
| Photographed at Sherwood Forest CP May 2006 | Photographed at Clipstone Old Quarter June 2008 | |||
 |
 |
|||
Stenagostus
rhombeus
|
||||
| Photographed at Lound Wood, September 2007 | ||||
 |
||||
| Rare and scarce Elateridae in
Nottinghamshire The following list of Elateridae are known from the county. Source:- Nottinghamshire Local Biodiversity Action Plan - Appendix A: List of species of conservation concern in Nottinghamshire. S.Wright. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
RDB1:
Endangered. Species which have shown a rapid
continuous decline over the last twenty years, and now
exist in 5 or fewer 10km squares of the national grid.
RDB2: Vulnerable. Species likely to move into RDB1 in the near future, as most or all populations are declining. Found in 15 or fewer 10km squares since 1980. RDB3: Rare. Species with small populations which are localised or thinly scattered, but not at present qualifying for RDB1-2. Found in 15 or fewer 10km squares since 1980. RDBK: Species believed to be rare but too recently discovered to be categorised easily. RDBI: Red data book indeterminate. Species believed to be rare, but for which data on their distribution is insufficient to allow a grade to be assigned. Na: Nationally Scarce Grade A. Recorded in 16-30 10km squares since 1980. Nb: Nationally Scarce Grade B. Recorded in 31-100 10km squares since 1980. p indicates a provisional status. As in all lists, a name in bold type indicates UK Long List. [ ] indicates species which have not been recorded in the County since the publication of The Invertebrate Fauna of Nottinghamshire by J.W.Carr in 1916. It is believed that these species are likely to still be present. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
