Click-Beetles of Great Britain and Ireland: An Atlas and Natural History

Description:

Beetles of the closely related families Eucnemidae, Throscidae and Elateridae comprise a group referred to as ‘click-beetles’ throughout this volume. The ‘click’ name arises from their ability to spring into the air, often with an audible click, a behaviour which helps them evade predation. In total, there are 84 species in Great Britain and Ireland (69 Elateridae, 8 Eucnemidae and 7 Throscidae).

The Click-beetle Recording Scheme was established in 1983, and produced the first provisional Atlas to the group in 1988, followed by others in 1990 and 1996. This new atlas totally replaces its predecessors. The distribution maps and vice-county tables separate the records into three date classes: 19th century, 1900-1979 and 1980-2019. For a few species additional more recent records are shown where there have been significant discoveries since 2019.

Individual species accounts provide a wealth of information on life histories and habitat requirements, as well as the current status and the recorded history of these beetles in Great Britain and Ireland. Advice on how to find each species is offered. Although not an identification guide as such, advice on how to distinguish similar species is provided and there are photographs of most of the species and many habitat photographs.