US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
The larval stage of the click beetle, or Alaus oculatus, is commonly called a "wireworm." It can live in the soil and may eat the roots and seeds of many different types of plants, including corn, grains, wild grasses, potatoes, beets, carrots, beans, lettuce, onions, turnips, and certain kinds of flowers. Poorly drained sod fields are more prone to wireworms than other types of fields. Wireworms usually destroy crops by eating the germ of the seed, thus causing germination to not occur. If the larva do not totally disallow germination of a crop, the crop may thin out and die later because the worms eat underground parts of the stem or roots of the plants. The larva may also eat rotting logs or the larva of some other types of beetles (Nielson 1997).
The beetles themselves eat nectar from flowers (Day 1996). The larva are great crop pests, as they eat the roots of corn, root vegtables, and some flowers. The larva are also found in and around the stumps of hardwood trees such as cherry trees, apple trees, and oak trees, where they eat the larva of some wood-boring beetles
(Milne and Milne 1995).
Alaus oculatus is found throughout the eastern United States, from Quebec to Florida and west to Texas and South Dakota.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Beetles are found around deciduous woods and in areas with many hardwood trees, such as cherry, apple, or oak, especially in areas with a lot of rotting logs (Milne and Milne 1995).
Terrestrial Biomes: forest
Adults reach a length of 24-45 mm . The adult beetle is long and thin (Arnett, et al 1980). Alaus oculatus has distinctive eyespots that cover about one third the length of the pronotum. These large white spots are a distinctive coloration pattern that make the beetle appear to have large eyes on its back, affording it a little extra protection from predators who may be startled at the sight of seemingly threatening "eyes" (Woodruff 1999). The beetles are covered in minute scales that function well as protective coloration (Encarta 1999).
Larva of Alaus oculatus are slender and are up to 2 inches long, hard-shelled, yellowish to dark brown, and jointed (Nielson 1997). The larva have dark heads and appear segmented. They have three pairs of legs. The last four segments are dark brown and the 9th segment has what appear to be pronged teeth, while the 10th segment has two anal hooks, 10-12 spines, and seta (Woodruff 1999).
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Beetles lay eggs in the soil and produce slow-growing larva (wire worms). The larva pupate in rotting logs or below the ground. The beetles emerge in the spring and are commonly found until September (Borer and White 1970, Nielson 1997).
Alaus oculatus, commonly called the eastern eyed click beetle or eyed elater, is a species of click beetle.
Alaus oculatus can reach a length of about 25–45 millimetres (1.0–1.8 in).[1] They have an elongated body, black in color throughout. The pronotum exhibits a large oval patch of darker scales, framed in white, on each side - the common name of the beetle derives from this feature. The elytra are striated and mottled with silvery whitish scales.[1][2][3] The "false eyes" depicted on the pronotum are a defensive adaptation that has evolved because of its advantage confusing or frightening potential predators. The eyespots are a form of self-mimicry, in which one part of the body has adapted to mimic another body part. Like all click beetles, A. oculatus is also capable of suddenly catapulting itself out of danger by releasing the energy stored by a click mechanism, which consists of a stout spine on the prosternum and a matching groove in the mesosternum.[4]
Eggs are laid in soil or on standing deadwood. Many larvae from the click beetle family Elateridae are commonly referred to as wireworms and are prominent agricultural pests that feast on plant matter. However, the larvae of Alaus oculatus are unique among wireworms because they are predatory to other beetle larvae feeding in decaying wood, especially Cerambycidae.[1] The larva pupate in rotting logs or below the ground and the adults emerge in the spring and are commonly found until September.[5]
The adults do not eat much but their diet consists of nectar and plant juice. The larvae diet consists of grubs of wood-boring beetles.[3] The larvae are voracious on wood borers, and that during their development caged specimens were observed to devour more than 200 cerambycid larvae each.[6]
This species is present in Central and North America.[1] It can be found in deciduous/mixed forests and woodlands.[3]
Alaus oculatus, commonly called the eastern eyed click beetle or eyed elater, is a species of click beetle.
Alaus oculatus, preserved specimen
