Blister beetles are

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Meloidae, so called for their defensive secretion of a blistering agent,

cantharidin Cantharidin is an odorless, colorless fatty substance of the terpenoid class, which is secreted by many species of blister beetles. It is a burn agent or a poison in large doses, but preparations containing it were historically used as aphrodisiac ...

. About 7,500

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

are known worldwide. Many are conspicuous and some are aposematically colored, announcing their toxicity to would-be

predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

Description

Blister beetles are hypermetamorphic, going through several larval stages, the first of which is typically a mobile

triungulin A planidium is a specialized form of insect larva seen in the first-instar of a few families of insects that have parasitoidal ways of life. They are usually flattened, highly sclerotized (hardened), and quite mobile. The function of the plani ...

. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e are

insectivorous A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores were ...

, mainly attacking

bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyly, monophyletic lineage within the ...

s, though a few feed on

grasshopper Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are among what is possibly the most ancient living group of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grasshopp ...

eggs. While sometimes considered

parasitoid In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host (biology), host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionarily stable str ...

s, in general, the meloid larva apparently consumes the immature host along with its provisions, and can often survive on the provisions alone; thus it is not an obligatory parasitoid, but rather a facultative parasitoid, or simply a

kleptoparasite Kleptoparasitism (etymologically, parasitism by theft) is a form of feeding in which one animal deliberately takes food from another. The strategy is evolutionarily stable when stealing is less costly than direct feeding, which can mean when fo ...

. The adults sometimes feed on flowers and leaves of plants of such diverse families as the

Amaranthaceae Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus ''Amaranthus''. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, making it ...

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

, and

Solanaceae The Solanaceae , or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and orn ...

. Cantharidin, a poisonous chemical that causes blistering of the skin, is secreted as a defensive agent. It is used medically to remove warts and is collected for this purpose from species of the genera ''

Mylabris ''Mylabris'' is a genus of beetles in the family Meloidae. It is endemic to the Palearctic realm. The species-rich genus ''Hycleus'' (c. 430 spp.) was historically confused with ''Mylabris''. It is superficially similar, but is centered on the Af ...

'' and ''

Lytta '' Lytta vesicatoria'', the Spanish fly ''Lytta'' is a genus of blister beetles in the family Meloidae. There are about 70 described species in North America, and over 100 species worldwide. Selected species These species, and others, belong ...

'', especially ''

Lytta vesicatoria The Spanish fly (''Lytta vesicatoria'') is an aposematic emerald-green beetle in the blister beetle family (Meloidae). It is distributed across Eurasia. The species and others in its family were used in traditional apothecary preparations ...

'', better known as "Spanish fly".

Toxicity

Cantharidin is the principal irritant in "

Spanish fly The Spanish fly (''Lytta vesicatoria'') is an aposematic emerald-green beetle in the blister beetle family (Meloidae). It is distributed across Eurasia. The species and others in its family were used in traditional apothecary preparations ...

", a folk medicine prepared from dried beetles in the family Meloidae. The largest genus, ''

Epicauta ''Epicauta'' is a genus of beetles in the blister beetle family, blister beetle, Meloidae. The genus was first scientifically described in 1834 by Pierre François Marie Auguste Dejean. ''Epicauta'' is distributed nearly worldwide, with species n ...

'', contains many species toxic to horses. A few beetles consumed in a single feeding of

alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...

hay may be lethal. In semiarid areas of the western United States, modern harvesting techniques may contribute to cantharidin content in harvested forage. The practice of hay conditioning, crushing the stalks to promote drying, also crushes any beetles present and causes the release of cantharidin into the fodder. Blister beetles are attracted to alfalfa and weeds during bloom. Reducing weeds and timing harvests before and after bloom are sound management practices. Using equipment without hay conditioners may reduce beetle mortality and allow them to escape before baling.

Evolutionary history

The family is thought to have begun diversifying during the

Early Cretaceous The Early Cretaceous ( geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphic name), is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 145 Ma to 100.5 Ma. Geology Pro ...

. The oldest fossil of the group is a larva (triangulin) found

phoretic Phoresis or phoresy is a non-permanent, commensalistic interaction in which one organism (a phoront or phoretic) attaches itself to another (the host) solely for the purpose of travel. Phoresis has been observed directly in ticks and mites s ...

on a schizopterid bug from the mid Cretaceous

Burmese amber Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. The ...

, dated to around 99 million years ago.

Systematics

Subfamily Eleticinae

Tribe Derideini *'' Anthicoxenus'' *'' Deridea'' *'' Iselma'' *'' Iselmeletica'' Tribe Morphozonitini *'' Ceriselma'' *'' Morphozonitis'' *'' Steniselma'' Tribe Eleticini *'' Eletica'' Tribe Spasticini *'' Eospasta'' *'' Protomeloe'' *'' Spastica'' *'' Xenospasta''

Subfamily Meloinae

Tribe Cerocomini *'' Anisarthrocera'' *'' Cerocoma'' *'' Diaphorocera'' *'' Rhampholyssa'' *'' Rhampholyssodes'' Tribe Epicautini *'' Denierella'' *''

'' *'' Linsleya'' *'' Psalydolytta'' Tribe Eupomphini *'' Cordylospasta'' *'' Cysteodemus'' *''

Eupompha ''Eupompha'' is a genus of blister beetles in the family Meloidae Blister beetles are beetles of the family Meloidae, so called for their defensive secretion of a blistering agent, cantharidin. About 7,500 species are known worldwide. Many ar ...

'' *''

Megetra ''Megetra'' is a genus of blister beetles in the family Meloidae. There are at least three described species in ''Megetra''. Species These three species belong to the genus ''Megetra'': * ''Megetra cancellata'' (Brandt & Erichson, 1832) * ''Mege ...

'' *'' Phodaga'' *'' Pleropasta'' *'' Tegrodera'' Tribe Lyttini *'' Acrolytta'' *'' Afrolytta'' *'' Alosimus'' *''

Berberomeloe ''Berberomeloe'' is a genus within the tribe Lyttini of the family Meloidae, the oil or blister beetles. It includes two species, the red-striped oil beetle, ''Berberomeloe majalis'', and the less flamboyant '' Berberomeloe insignis''. Taxonom ...

'' *'' Cabalia'' *'' Dictyolytta'' *'' Eolydus'' *'' Epispasta'' *'' Lagorina'' *'' Lydomorphus'' *'' Lydulus'' *''

Lydus Lydus (Ancient Greek: Λυδός), a son of Atys and Callithea, grandson of Manes, and brother of Tyrrhenus or Torybus, is a legendary figure of the 2nd millennium BC who is attested by Herodotus to have been an early king of Lydia, then prob ...

'' *''

'' *'' Lyttolydulus'' *'' Lyttonyx'' *'' Megalytta'' *'' Muzimes'' *'' Oenas'' *'' Parameloe'' *'' Paroenas'' *'' Physomeloe'' *'' Prionotolytta'' *'' Prolytta'' *'' Pseudosybaris'' *''

Sybaris Sybaris ( grc, Σύβαρις; it, Sibari) was an important city of Magna Graecia. It was situated in modern Calabria, in southern Italy, between two rivers, the Crathis (Crati) and the Sybaris (Coscile). The city was founded in 720 BC ...

'' *'' Teratolytta'' *'' Tetraolytta'' *'' Trichomeloe'' Tribe Meloini *'' Cyaneolytta'' *'' Lyttomeloe'' *''

Meloe The blister beetle genus ''Meloe'' is a large, widespread group commonly referred to as oil beetles. They are known as "oil beetles" because they release oily droplets of hemolymph from their joints when disturbed; this contains cantharidin, a ...

'' *'' Spastomeloe'' *'' Spastonyx'' Tribe Mylabrini *''

Actenodia ''Actenodia'' is a genus of blister beetles in the family Meloidae. The genus was named and described by Francis de Laporte de Castelnau Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican ...

*'' Ceroctis'' *'' Croscherichia'' *''

Hycleus ''Hycleus'' is a genus of blister beetle belonging to the Meloidae family found in Africa and Asia. The genus contains over 400 species, which historically have been confused with the genus ''Mylabris''. Ecology Adults feed mainly on flowers fr ...

'' *'' Lydoceras'' *'' Mimesthes'' *''

'' *'' Paractenodia'' *'' Pseudabris'' *'' Semenovilia'' *'' Xanthabris'' Tribe Pyrotini *'' Bokermannia'' *'' Brasiliota'' *'' Denierota'' *'' Glaphyrolytta'' *'' Lyttamorpha'' *'' Picnoseus'' *'' Pseudopyrota'' *'' Pyrota'' *'' Wagneronota'' Genera ''

incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...

'' *'' Australytta'' *'' Calydus'' *'' Gynapteryx'' *'' Oreomeloe'' *'' Pseudomeloe''

Subfamily Nemognathinae

Tribe Horiini *'' Cissites'' *''

Horia Horia or ''Horea'' may refer to: Places in Romania Communes *Horea, Alba *Horia, Constanța *Horia, Neamț * Horia, Tulcea *Hilișeu-Horia, Botoșani Villages *Horea, in Sanislău, Satu Mare *Horia, in Vladimirescu, Arad *Horia, in Surdila-Greci, B ...

'' *'' Synhoria'' Tribe Nemognathini *'' Cochliophorus'' *'' Euzonitis'' *'' Gnathium'' *'' Gnathonemula'' *'' Leptopalpus'' *'' Megatrachelus'' *''

Nemognatha ''Nemognatha'' is a genus of blister beetle, blister beetles in the family Meloidae. There are at least 20 described species in ''Nemognatha''. Species References Further reading

* * * Meloidae {{meloidae-stub ...

'' *''

Palaestra A palaestra ( or ; also (chiefly British) palestra; grc-gre, παλαίστρα) was any site of an ancient Greek wrestling school. Events requiring little space, such as boxing and wrestling, took place there. Palaestrae functioned both indep ...

'' *'' Palaestrida'' *'' Pseudozonitis'' *'' Rhyphonemognatha'' *'' Stenodera'' *'' Zonitis'' *'' Zonitodema'' *'' Zonitolytta'' *'' Zonitomorpha'' *'' Zonitoschema'' Tribe Sitarini *'' Allendeselazaria'' *'' Apalus'' *'' Ctenopus'' *'' Glasunovia'' *'' Nyadatus'' *'' Sitaris'' *'' Sitarobrachys'' *'' Stenoria'' Genera ''

'' *'' Hornia'' *'' Onyctenus'' *'' Sitaromorpha'' *'' Tricrania''

Subfamily Tetraonycinae

Tribe Tetraonycini *'' Meloetyphlus'' *'' Opiomeloe'' *'' Tetraonyx''

References

External links

Blister Beetle Intoxication: Cantharidin Poisoningmeloidae.com
UF /

IFAS IFAS may refer: * Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences * Integrated Fixed-Film Activated Sludge, a sewage treatment process * International French adjectival system In rock climbing, mountaineering, and other climbing disciplines, clim ...

Featured Creatures
striped blister beetle, ''Epicauta vittata''
UF /

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Blister Beetle Poisonous animals Insect common names

Description

Toxicity

Evolutionary history

Systematics

Subfamily Eleticinae

Subfamily Meloinae

Subfamily Nemognathinae

Subfamily Tetraonycinae

See also

References

External links