Subject: On the left is the Eyed Elater or Eyed Click Beetle, Alaus oculatus. On the right is the Blind Elater or Small-Eyed Click Beetle, Alaus myops.

Location: Uphsur County, West Virginia for A. oculatus. Neshoba County, Mississippi for A. myops.

Stock Number: 5-6979 for A. oculatus, 5-8260 for A. myops

Comments: Both species are attention-getters, and state entomologists report a lot of inquries about these.

Differences between the two? Alaus oculatus, shown on the left, has a blacker appearance, deeper striations, larger eyespots, and has lots of small white spots and not just mottling.

Although both species may be as small as 24 or 25 mm, the longest individuals of Alaus oculatus measure 45 mm, while the longest examples of A. myops reach only 38 mm.

Alaus myops is considered a species primarily of the Southeastern U.S., whose larvae feed under the bark of dead pines. Alaus oculatus is found in the Northeast U.S. as well as the Southeast, and in Ontario, and may be found under the bark of dead deciduous trees.

It is the false eyes, of course, that draw attention to these beetles, and that have given them both their Latin and common names. Scientists assume the eyespots startle would-be predators, causing them to drop the beetle. The eyespots as well as the other spots are made up of tiny, light-colored scales not unlike those that make up the patterns on a butterfly's wings.

Are these beetles friend or foe? First, they do not bite or sting. Second, adults eat little if at all, and the larvae consume the larvae of other species of wood-boring insect, and thus the economic impact of these Alaus beetles is positive.

Among the states (and one province) reporting Alaus oculatus are: ON, NY, NH, MA, CT, IA, IL, IN, OH, PA, NJ, MD, VA, WV, KY, NC, GA, SC, FL, LA, TX, AR, and OK.

States reporting Alaus myops include: NY, IN, PA, MD, TN, VA, NC, GA, FL, MS, and TX.

Source for the range information: Downie & Arnett’s Beetles of Northeastern North America, supplemented by the BugGuide website. West Virginia is included in the A. oculatus list on the basis of the photo on this page (above, left), and Mississippi is included on the A. myops list on the basis of the photo on this page (above, right).