''Prosternon tessellatum'', the chequered click beetle, is a species of click beetle belonging to the family Elateridae.

Distribution

This species is widespread in Europe, in Asia, and in the

Nearctic realm The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface. The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America t ...

Habitat

These beetles inhabit mountain areas, coniferous forests, dry forest edges and forest meadows, but also heathland, moors, dunes and gardens.

Description

''Prosternon tessellatum'' can reach a body length of approximately . These beetles have a hairiness blackish-brown pronotum and striped elytra, with paler silk-hairy gray-yellow to gold-shining stains. They are rather similar to ''

Agrypnus murinus ''Agrypnus murinus'' is a species of click beetle belonging to the family Elateridae subfamily Agrypninae. This beetle is present in most of Europe, the eastern Palearctic realm, the Near East and the Nearctic realm. The dark-brown larvae of t ...

'', that is smaller.

Biology

Adults can be found from May to early August, feeding on flowers, shrubs and low vegetation.''Inaturalist''
Larvae of this species live in tree stumps of conifers and in humus. They are predators and destroy cocoons of pine-tree lappet ('' Dendrolimus pini'') and pine sawfly ('' Neodiprion'').

References

Elateridae Beetles described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Beetles of Europe {{Elateridae-stub