Agriotes

Agriotes is a very large genus of beetles in the family of click beetles or Elateridae. More than 350 species have been described and are currently recognized as valid, see the list of Agriotes species. The natural habitat of many species is grassland. Breeding takes place in the soil, like in other groups of click beetles, where the larvae or wireworms feed on seeds and roots. The genus is widely distributed in Europe, Asia (including the Near East), northern Africa and the Americas. Compared to related genera of click beetles, species of Agriotes can be mainly recognized by structures on the pronotum and the head (see below). The larvae of common species, can be harmful to crops and damage cereals like maize, forage crops like alfalfa, or root crops like potatoes and sugar beet. Three Agriotes species are invasive and have spread to North America, where they also have become serious agricultural pests and are suppressing and displacing native species.