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Taxonomy See also list of insects. click beetle, (family Elateridae), family of approximately 7,000 species of beetles named for the clicking noise made when seized by a predator. Most click beetles range between 2.5 and 18 mm (less than 0.75 inch) in length and are brown or black in color with either little or no ornamentation. However, some tropical species are brightly colored or luminescent. Click beetles have elongated bodies with parallel sides and bluntly...