Seasonal and diel flight phenology of 5 species of click beetles (Elateridae) native to eastern North America.

The work reported here summarizes research on the seasonal and diel activity periods of adult males of 3 click beetle species native to North America. Seasonal activity was assessed using panel traps baited with synthesized attractants that captured 50 males of Gambrinus griseus (Palisot de Beauvois), 397 males of its congener G. rudis (Brown) (tribe Dendrometrinae), and 131 males of Melanotus similis (Kirby) (Elaterinae). Flight periods of all 3 species were generally unimodal and confined to the summer months. Diel activity periods were assessed with attractant-baited panel traps fitted with collection jars that rotated at intervals of 1 to 2 h. These timer traps captured 38 male G. griseus, 355 male G. rudis, and 67 male M. similis. Males of G. griseus and M. similis were primarily nocturnal, with most flying between 6 PM and 12 AM. In contrast, the diel flight period of G. rudis appeared bimodal, with males being trapped late at night, and from dawn to late morning. Incomplete field data for another 2 elaterid species revealed that adults of Agriotes insanus Candèze (Agriotini) (N = 99) flew earlier than all the previous species, with all 99 specimens trapped during April, and males of Melanotus sagittarius (LeConte) were nocturnal, being trapped between 10 PM and 12 AM (N = 26).