blister beetle

 

common name for certain soft-bodied, usually black or brown, mostly elongate and cylindrical beetles belonging to the family Meloidae. Blister beetles are common insects found feeding on the flowers and foliage of various plants. Occasionally some, e.g., potato beetles, become serious defoliating pests of potatoes, tomatoes, beets, asters, and other crops and flowers. The larvae are predacious or parasitic, feeding on the eggs of grasshoppers and of bees. Blister beetles undergo hypermetamorphosis, a complex life cycle with several different larval forms. The first of the six larval stages, called a triungulin, is a minute, active, and long-legged form that seeks out the host's nest; the following stages are grublike. Adults emerge in midsummer. One group of blister beetles has body fluids that contain cantharadin, a substance that can cause the skin to blister, from which the family gets its name. The Spanish fly (Lytta vesicatoria), a bright green or bluish blister beetle, is a common S European species from which cantharides are extracted and commercially prepared by crushing the wing covers (elytra) of the adults. This quite poisonous chemical is used medicinally as a skin irritant (in plasters), a diuretic, and an aphrodisiac. The lethal dosage for man is about .03 grams. Another group of meloid beetles has no cantharadin and is sometimes called the oil beetles because of the oily substance they secrete as protection against predators. Blister and oil beetles may be brushed into pans of kerosene or killed with systemic poisons or contact insecticides. Blister beetles are classified in the phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta, order Coleoptera, family Meloidae.

Blister beetle
Black blister beetle, Epicauta pennsylvanica
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptera Superfamily: Tenebrionoidea Family: Meloidae Gyllenhal, 1810
Genera
See text.

Beetles in the Coleoptera family Meloidae are commonly known as blister beetles. There are approximately 2,500 known species worldwide.

They are known as "blister beetles" because they secrete cantharidin, a poisonous chemical causing blistering of the skin and painful swelling. Cantharidin is used medically to remove warts, and is collected for this purpose from species of the genera Mylabris and Lytta, especially Lytta vesicatoria, better known as Spanish fly.

Blister beetles are hypermetamorphic, going through several larval stages, the first of which is typically a mobile triungulin. The larvae are insectivorous, mainly attacking bees, though a few feed on grasshopper eggs; while sometimes considered parasitoids, it appears that in general, the meloid larva consumes the immature host along with its provisions, and can often survive on the provisions alone, thus they do not truly qualify (see Parasitoid for definition). The adults sometimes feed on flowers and leaves of plants, such as in the families Amaranthaceae, Compositae, Leguminosae, and Solanaceae.

Classification

• Subfamily Eleticinae
  • Tribe Derideini
    • Anthicoxenus
    • Deridea
    • Iselma
    • Iselmeletica
  • Tribe Eleticini
    • Eletica
  • Tribe Morphozonitini
    • Ceriselma
    • Morphozonitis
    • Steniselma
  • Tribe Spasticini
    • Eospasta
    • Protomeloe
    • Spastica
    • Xenospasta
• Subfamily Meloinae
  • Tribe Cerocomini
    • Anisarthrocera
    • Cerocoma
    • Diaphorocera
    • Rhampholyssa
    • Rhampholyssodes
  • Tribe Epicautini
    • Denierella
    • Epicauta
    • Linsleya
    • Psalydolytta
  • Tribe Eupomphini
    • Cordylospasta
    • Cysteodemus
    • Eupompha
    • Megetra
    • Phodaga
    • Pleropasta
    • Tegrodera
  • Tribe Lyttini
    • Acrolytta
    • Afrolytta
    • Alosimus
    • Berberomeloe
    • Cabalia
    • Dictyolytta
    • Eolydus
    • Epispasta
    • Lagorina
    • Lydomorphus
    • Lydulus
    • Lydus
    • Lytta
    • Lyttolydulus
    • Lyttonyx
    • Megalytta
    • Muzimes
    • Oenas
    • Parameloe
    • Paroenas
    • Physomeloe
    • Prionotolytta
    • Prolytta
    • Pseudosybaris
    • Sybaris
    • Teratolytta
    • Tetraolytta
    • Trichomeloe
  • Tribe Meloini
    • Cyaneolytta
    • Lyttomeloe
    • Meloe
    • Spastomeloe
    • Spastonyx
  • Tribe Mylabrini
    • Actenodia
    • Ceroctis
    • Croscherichia
    • Hycleus
    • Lydoceras
    • Mimesthes
    • Mylabris
    • Paractenodia
    • Pseudabris
    • Semenovilia
    • Xanthabris
  • Tribe Pyrotini
    • Bokermannia
    • Brasiliota
    • Denierota
    • Glaphyrolytta
    • Lyttamorpha
    • Picnoseus
    • Pseudopyrota
    • Pyrota
    • Wagneronota
  • Unclassified group
    • Australytta
    • Calydus
    • Gynapteryx
  • Unclassified group
    • Oreomeloe
  • Unclassified group
    • Pseudomeloe
• Subfamily Nemognathinae
  • Tribe Horiini
    • Cissites
    • Horia
    • Synhoria
  • Tribe Nemognathini
    • Cochliophorus
    • Euzonitis
    • Gnathium
    • Gnathonemula
    • Leptopalpus
    • Megatrachelus
    • Nemognatha
    • Palaestra
    • Palaestrida
    • Pseudozonitis
    • Rhyphonemognatha
    • Stenodera
    • Zonitis
    • Zonitodema
    • Zonitolytta
    • Zonitomorpha
    • Zonitoschema
  • Tribe Sitarini
    • Allendeselazaria
    • Apalus
    • Ctenopus
    • Glasunovia
    • Nyadatus
    • Sitaris
    • Sitarobrachys
    • Stenoria
  • Unclassified group
    • Hornia
    • Tricrania
  • Unclassified group
    • Onyctenus
    • Sitaromorpha
• Subfamily Tetraonycinae
  • Tribe Tetraonycini
    • Meloetyphlus
    • Opiomeloe
    • Tetraonyx

External links

• Blister beetles Richard B. Selander
• meloidae.com Stanislav Krejcik
• Quirks and quarks Mp3 podcast about blister beetles
• http://www.faculty.ucr.edu/~legneref/taxonomy/meloidae.htm

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