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

Click-beetles of Great Britain and Ireland: An Atlas and Natural History   BRC (Biological Records Centre) Atlas Series – Volume: SP18a

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, which helps evade predators. In total, there are 84 species in Great Britain and Ireland (69 Elateridae, 8 Eucnemidae and 7 Throscidae).

Some click-beetles are generalists, and a few are pests. But most species occur in a particular micro-habitat, such as wood pasture, river shingle and sand dunes. Indeed click-beetles are often valuable indicators of conservation ‘hot spots’, providing evidence of a long history of habitat continuity. The Elateridae is one of the major beetle families worldwide, although only a small proportion live in Britain and Ireland.

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

Individual species accounts discuss life histories and habitat requirements, plus current status and recorded history in Great Britain and Ireland. Although not an identification guide, it includes advice on how to distinguish similar species, as well as photographs of most of species and many habitats.

The Click-beetles atlas represents the accumulated effort of hundreds of coleopterists and recorders over more than two centuries.  This has enabled a better understanding of how this group of insects have colonised and spread across the British Isles since the last Ice Age. Such information is fundamental to effective species and habitat conservation as well as providing early indications of the impacts of habitat loss and climate change.