A click beetle that could launch itself into the air
In the wet forest of Medog, this click beetle was crossing a broad leaf, its long, narrow body held close to the surface, antennae flicking forward as it walked. Click beetles are common insects, but this one had a deep, rich brown color and a solid, well-built look that made me stop.
This is Sinelater perroti, a member of the click beetle family Elateridae in the order Coleoptera. Elaterids are named for their famous escape trick: a peg on the underside of the thorax snaps into a matching groove with an audible click, launching the beetle several times its body length into the air. Turn one on its back, and it will click itself upright in a fraction of a second.
The genus name pairs “Sin-” with “elater,” the old name for click beetles, pointing to China, while the species name perroti is a dedication to a person named Perrot, following the convention of such epithets. Click beetles spend most of their lives as slender larvae in the soil and rotting wood, where many are predators of other small invertebrates, while the adults are mostly harmless, feeding on pollen and tender plant tissue.
I touched its side gently, and it responded instantly: a sharp click, a small arc through the air, and it landed on its feet a hand’s width away, as if nothing had happened. In a forest full of dramatic insects, the click beetle’s quiet party trick is still one of the best.
