Editing Click beetle (section)

=== Wireworms ===
Larvae are elongate, cylindrical or somewhat flattened, with hard bodies, somewhat resembling [[mealworm]]s. The three pairs of legs on the [[Thorax (insect anatomy)|thoracic]] segments are short and the last [[abdominal segment]] is, as is frequently the case in [[beetle]] larvae, directed downward and may serve as a terminal proleg in some species.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Wireworm|volume=28|page=739}}</ref> The ninth segment, the rearmost, is pointed in larvae of ''[[Agriotes]]'', ''[[Dalopius]]'' and ''[[Melanotus]]'', but is bifid due to a so-called caudal notch in ''[[Selatosomus]]'' (formerly ''Ctenicera''), ''[[Limonius]]'', ''[[Hypnoides]]'' and ''[[Athous]]'' species.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www3.telus.net/limonius/Limonius.htm |title=Limonius: wireworm research site |author=van Herk, W. |date=March 12, 2009 |access-date=January 22, 2011 |archive-date=June 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607165704/http://www3.telus.net/limonius/Limonius.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[Dorsum (anatomy)|dorsum]] of the ninth abdominal segment may also have sharp processes, such as in the Oestodini, including the genera ''[[Drapetes (beetle)|Drapetes]]'' and ''[[Oestodes]]''. Although some species complete their development in one year (e.g. ''[[Conoderus]]''), most wireworms spend three or four years in the [[soil]], feeding on decaying vegetation and the [[root]]s of plants, and often causing damage to agricultural crops such as [[potato]], [[strawberry]], [[maize]], and [[wheat]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=R. S. Vernon |author2=W. van Herk |author3=J. Tolman |author4=H. Ortiz Saavedra |author5=M. Clodius |author6=B. Gage |year=2008 |title=Transitional sublethal and lethal effects of insecticides after dermal exposures to five economic species of wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) |journal=[[Journal of Economic Entomology]] |volume=101 |issue=2 |pages=365–374 |pmid=18459400 |doi=10.1603/0022-0493(2008)101[365:TSALEO]2.0.CO;2}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=William E. Parker |author2=Julia J. Howard |year=2001 |title=The biology and management of wireworms (''Agriotes'' spp.) on potato with particular reference to the U.K. |journal=[[Agricultural and Forest Entomology]] |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=85–98 |doi=10.1046/j.1461-9563.2001.00094.x|doi-access= }}</ref> The subterranean habits of wireworms, their ability to quickly locate food by following [[carbon dioxide]] gradients produced by plant material in the soil,<ref>{{cite journal |author1=J. F. Doane |author2=Y. W. Lee |author3=N. D. Westcott |author4=J. Klingler |year=1975 |title=The orientation response of ''Ctenicera destructor'' and other wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) to germinating grain and to carbon dioxide |journal=[[Canadian Entomologist]] |volume=107 |issue=12 |pages=1233–1252 |doi=10.4039/Ent1071233-12}}</ref> and their remarkable ability to recover from illness induced by [[insecticide]] exposure (sometimes after many months),<ref>{{cite journal |author1=W. G. van Herk |author2=R. S. Vernon |author3=J. H. Tolman |author4=H. Ortiz Saavedra |year=2008 |title=Mortality of a wireworm, ''Agriotes obscurus'' (Coleoptera: Elateridae), after topical application of various insecticides |journal=[[Journal of Economic Entomology]] |volume=101 |issue=2 |pages=375–383 |pmid=18459401 |doi=10.1603/0022-0493(2008)101[375:moawao]2.0.co;2}}</ref> make it hard to exterminate them once they have begun to attack a crop.  Wireworms can pass easily through the soil on account of their shape and their propensity for following pre-existing burrows,<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Willem G. van Herk |author2=Robert S. Vernon |year=2007 |title=Soil bioassay for studying behavioral responses of wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) to inecticide-treated wheat seed |journal=[[Environmental Entomology]] |volume=36 |issue=6 |pages=1441–1449 |pmid=18284772 |doi=10.1603/0046-225X(2007)36[1441:SBFSBR]2.0.CO;2|doi-access= }}</ref> and can travel from plant to plant, thus injuring the roots of multiple plants within a short time. Methods for pest control include [[crop rotation]] and clearing the land of insects before sowing.

Other subterranean creatures such as the leatherjacket grub of [[Tipulidae|crane flies]] which have no legs, and [[Geophilidae|geophilid]] [[centipede]]s, which may have over two hundred, are sometimes confused with the six-legged wireworms.<ref name="EB1911"/>