Research grade species #1200: Melanotus americanus
Click beetles (family Elateridae) are readily identifiable at a glance. Their long oval body pointed at the abdomen and the prominent hinge between the abdomen and thorax are the giveaways. When click beetles get "beetled," trapped on their back unable to turn over using their limbs, they flex this hinge which builds up tension then suddenly clicks, throwing them up into the air (the family name comes from the Greek for "hurler"). When they land, they have a pretty good (50% maybe?) chance of landing leg-side down and running for cover.
When it comes to narrowing the identification down from family, then you are getting into specialiized work. As bugguide says, "Small size, subequal antennomeres II and III (in male), rounded pronotum with sparse punctures usually support identification of this species externally. Male genitalia are also distinctive." Indeed, the person who identified my Melanotus americanus ("the dark American") commented "small size, sparse pronotal punctures, antennomeres II and III subequal! Rare chance to ID Melanotus to the species level from a pic." In other words, I got lucky, and managed to capture the diagnostic elements with my photo. It helps that click beetles' main way to protect themselves is to fold in their legs and present a rounded and armored countenance to a potential predator, holding nice and still for the camera.
