Golden Click Beetle (Campsosternus auratus)

Here’s a detailed natural history and identification overview of the Campsosternus auratus, one of Europe’s most striking click beetles with a brilliant metallic sheen. 🌈🪲

🪲 Campsosternus auratus

Common name: Golden Click Beetle
Scientific name: Campsosternus auratus (Drury, 1773)
Family: Elateridae (Click Beetles)
Genus: Campsosternus

🌍 General Overview

The Golden Click Beetle (Campsosternus auratus) is a large, metallic click beetle found in parts of southern and central Europe, extending into western Asia.
It is one of the most beautiful members of the click beetle family (Elateridae), known for its iridescent coloration, which can shimmer in hues of green, copper, and violet depending on the light.

The species is rare and localized, favoring old, decaying forests with abundant rotting wood, especially oak, beech, or pine.

🧬 Identification

🆔 Key ID feature: The iridescent metallic coloration and large size make Campsosternus auratus unmistakable among European click beetles.

⚙️ Behavior and Ecology

• Activity: Mostly nocturnal or crepuscular; often attracted to light sources at night.
• Defensive behavior: Like other click beetles, it can “click” itself into the air using a special spine-and-groove mechanism on its thorax — useful for flipping over or startling predators.
• Flight: Strong and noisy when disturbed.
• Lifespan: Adults live a few months, mainly in late spring to midsummer.

🪺 Life Cycle

🌲 Habitat

• Preferred habitat: Old, mature deciduous and mixed forests, especially those with:
  • Fallen and rotting logs
  • Hollow trees and deadwood
  • High humidity and shade
• Microhabitats: Larvae live within decayed trunks and stumps, particularly of oak, beech, or pine.
• Elevation: From lowlands up to mid-mountain forests (approx. 1,500 m).

🧭 Distribution

• Geographic range:
  Found sporadically in southern and central Europe, including:
  • France
  • Italy
  • Austria
  • Czech Republic
  • Slovakia
  • Hungary
  • Balkans
  • Extends east through Turkey, the Caucasus, and into western Asia.
• In Northern Europe: Extremely rare or absent; most northern records are historical.

📉 Conservation Status

This beetle is considered a bioindicator species of ancient woodland ecosystems.

🧠 Interesting Facts

• The iridescent color is structural, caused by microscopic layers that reflect light, not by pigment.
• It is one of the few click beetles that can rival jewel beetles (Buprestidae) in brilliance.
• The genus Campsosternus is mainly tropical; C. auratus is its only European representative.
• When handled, it can make an audible “click” and leap several centimeters into the air.

📊 Summary Table

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