click beetle

3 definitions found

click beetle - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Elater \El"a*ter\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? driver, fr. ? to drive.]
     1. (Bot.) An elastic spiral filament for dispersing the
        spores, as in some liverworts.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Zo["o]l.) Any beetle of the family Elaterid[ae], having
        the habit, when laid on the back, of giving a sudden
        upward spring, by a quick movement of the articulation
        between the abdomen and thorax; -- called also click  beetle
        , spring beetle, and snapping beetle.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Zo["o]l.) The caudal spring used by Podura and related
        insects for leaping. See Collembola.
        [1913 Webster]

  Click beetle \Click" bee"tle\ (Zool.)
     See Elater.
     [1913 Webster]

click beetle - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  click beetle
      n 1: able to right itself when on its back by flipping into the
           air with a clicking sound [syn: click beetle, skipjack,
           snapping beetle]