Hypsiophthalmus is a genus of click beetles in the family Elateridae. They are one of several genera in the tribe Pyrophorini. This genus was established by French zoologist Pierre André Latreille in 1834 posthumously and then reviewed by in 1975 (with 5 species split from Pyrophorus) and in 1979 (with description of 3 new species and 2 recombinations from Pyrophorus).
Dark brown or black. or with extremely fine, short and sparse. Eyes very prominent in males and smaller in females. Antennae very short, 11-segmented, slightly from the fourth segment onwards; second segment short and spherical, third elongate and of the same length as the fourth. Mouth pieces, a little depressed in males because of the great development of the eyes. Prothorax small and trapezoidal in males; convex, rounded to sides in females. Luminous spots localized posteriorly, round, visible also on the (in males they are smaller than in females). cavity . plates of the same width throughout. Abdominal luminous organ usually median sized; frequently less developed or in the female. Elytra weakly -, sides and apices marginated; in female less . Male genitalia: simple, median lobe little developed. Female genitalia: with a single spiral and a few long spines; median oviduct without plates; accessory glands little developed. Sexual dimorphism extremely accentuated; in addition to the characters already referred to, the female has vestigial hind wings.
The following 10 species are accepted by (with each type locality given).