Blister beetles are beetles (Coleoptera) of the family Meloidae, so called for their defensive secretion of a blistering agent, cantharidin. About 7,500 species are known worldwide. Many are conspicuous and some are aposematically colored, announcing their toxicity to would-be predators.
Description
Cantharidin is a poisonous chemical that causes blistering of the skin.It 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, 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 predatory. The adults sometimes feed on flowers and leaves of plants of such diverse families as Amaranthaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Solanaceae.
Toxicity
Cantharidin is the principal irritant in "Spanish fly", a folk medicine prepared from dried beetles in the Meloidae family.
The largest genus, Epicauta, contains many species toxic to horses. A few beetles consumed in a single feeding of alfalfa 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.
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
- 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
Genera incertae sedis
- Australytta
- Calydus
- Gynapteryx
- Oreomeloe
- 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
Genera incertae sedis
- Hornia
- Onyctenus
- Sitaromorpha
- Tricrania
Subfamily Tetraonycinae
Tribe Tetraonycini
- Meloetyphlus
- Opiomeloe
- Tetraonyx
See also
- Blister beetle dermatitis
- Cantarella
References
External links
- Blister Beetle Intoxication: Cantharidin Poisoning
- meloidae.com
- blister beetles UF / IFAS Featured Creatures
- striped blister beetle, Epicauta vittata UF / IFAS Featured Creatures
- Beetle mania as 'extinct' insect found on Scots isle
- Ever so Strange: Blister Beetles
- Mylabris Pustulata Orange Blister Beetle found in Farms near Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
