This family of beetles, known as the Elateridae, are commonly called click beetles for the distinctive clicking mechanism they possess. A slender spine on the prosternum can be snapped into a corresponding notch on the mesosternum, producing a sudden and audible click that propels the beetle into the air. This remarkable adaptation serves primarily as a defense against predators, allowing the beetle to startle attackers or escape from tight spaces, though it is also used to right itself when flipped onto its back.

The larvae of click beetles, known as wireworms, are elongated, hard-bodied, and live in the soil. They feed on roots, seeds, and decaying organic matter, and several species are serious agricultural pests, damaging the roots of cereals, potatoes, and other cultivated crops.

Adult click beetles occupy a wide range of habitats. Some species are specialists of decaying wood in ancient woodlands, others inhabit wetlands and river margins, while many are common in grasslands and agricultural fields. Despite their modest appearance, Elateridae play diverse ecological roles—both as decomposers and as part of the food web supporting birds, mammals, and other insects.