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Strange bug
Hi,
I have seen this particular bug in my house two times so far, I can’t seem to find out what it is. This is probably not a very good picture, if I see it again I’ll try to take a better one. It has two spots near the top of the head that glow green when it feels threatened. Thanks for any help.
Wendy

Hi Wendy,
Your Fire Beetle is one of the Click Beetles from the Family Elateridae, also known as Spring Beetles, Snapping Bugs or Skipjacks (according to Dillon and Dillon) because of a strange habit they have when they find themselves on their backs. The body is bent and then snapped and the beetle flips into the air, hopefully landing on its feet. It will continue trying until it is upright. Some Southern species have luminous maculae (colored spots of relatively large size) and some larvae are also luminous. More specifically, your Fire Beetle is in the genus Pyrophorus. According to the Audubon Guide adults eat pollen and small insects such as aphids and scale insects. Larva are omniverous. Adults are active for a few weeks in May in Florida and late June in the Southwest. “Tropical members of this genus, up to 2 inches long, are known as Cucujos and often caught and worn as a luminous decoration by partygoers. If one beetle is held in the fingers and placed on a newspaper in a darkened room, it can supply enough light to read the print near the insect.”

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