Six Lined Racerunner and Eyed Elater

When the sun shines hot in the open dunes, there is always a scurrying going on just ahead of the hiker, the source of which we seldom see. It’s the Six Lined Racerunner, Cnemidophorus sexlineatus, and yesterday one was kind enough to hold still and let me get a photo. The speed with which they move is impressive. There is confusion about varieties/subspecies and their natural ranges.

Cnemidophorus sexlineatus (Six Lined Racerunner)

While botanizing the dunes yesterday a gargantuan bug came flying in my direction, so I moved a little, but it changed course and landed on me. This thing was about 5 cm long, so I performed a bit of an Irish jig and brushed it off. It turns out to be an Eyed Elater or Eyed Click Beetle, Alaus oculatus. That is a big bug! When a Click Beetle ends up on its back, it somehow snaps its body, making a loud click, and flips itself over. Amazing.

Alaus oculatus (Eyed Click Beetle, Eyed Elater)