Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Infraclass: Neoptera
Superorder: Endopterygota
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Elateridae
Subfamily: Pityobiinae
Genus: Metablax The genus Metablax is endemic to New Zealand.
Species: Metablax acutipennis
Common name: Acute winged click beetle
Metablax acutipennis is long, slender, pointed, flying beetle that is a New Zealand native. Its whole body is a black/brown and there are longitudinal striations on the elytra’s (wing covers).
Beetles fly from November to January and their grubs tunnels into dead wood.
It is called a ‘Click beetle’ because it makes a distinctive clicking sound when to achieve propulsion a spine on the prosternum is snapped into a corresponding notch on the mesosternum, producing a violent "click". Clicking is mainly used to avoid predation or if the beetle falls or is flipped upside down, it uses the same mechanism to right itself.
The elytras opening to show the folded wings.
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Underside view showing the clicking mechanism
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Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
