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Beetles of Zihuatanejo

ORDER COLEOPTERA

Dicrepidiina Click Beetles
Dicrepidiina (Subtribe)

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Beetles (Order Coleoptera​​)

-​Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf, and Snout Beetles (Suborder Polyphaga)

-Elateriform Beetles (Infraorder Elateriformia)

-Click, Firefly, and Soldier Beetles (Superfamily Elateroidea)

-Click Beetles (Family Elateridae)

-Subfamily Elaterinae

-Tribe Ampedini

-Subtribe Dicrepidiina


Elateridae, commonly known as click beetles, is a family of beetles characterized by their unique ability to produce a clicking sound. This sound is generated through a mechanism that allows them to flip into the air when they are on their backs, enabling them to right themselves. The larvae, commonly known as wireworms, are primarily herbivorous and feed on roots, tubers, and decaying organic matter.

Diet

  • Larvae: Feed on roots, decaying plant material, and other soil organisms, with diets varying considerably among species. Some species are predatory on other insect larvae.

  • Adults: Feed on nectar, pollen, flowers, foliage, and plant sap; some adults feed very little.

Range

  • Dicrepidiina is primarily a New World group, with representatives from North and Central America through the Caribbean and South America.

  • Numerous species occur in Mexico, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions.

  • The group is well represented in the Pacific coastal region, including Guerrero.

Habitat

  • Found in tropical dry forests, tropical rainforests, woodland edges, secondary forests, grasslands, agricultural areas, and forest clearings.

  • Larvae are generally associated with soil, roots, decaying wood, and leaf litter.

  • Adults occur on vegetation, flowers, tree trunks, and fallen wood, and some species are attracted to lights at night.

Size

  • Adult length: approximately 6–25 mm (0.24–1.0 in), depending on species.

  • Body usually elongate and somewhat flattened, with the characteristic form of click beetles (Elateridae).

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