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Blister Beetle

Insects

Blister beetles are a family of beetles, Meloidae, named for their defensive ability to secrete cantharidin, a toxic chemical that causes painful blistering on contact with skin; a dried and powdered preparation of one European species was historically sold as the folk remedy Spanish fly. Many species undergo an unusual life cycle called hypermetamorphosis, in which the tiny, mobile first-stage larva seeks out and parasitizes the nest of a solitary bee or the egg pods of grasshoppers, after which later larval stages become grub-like and sedentary while feeding.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Parasitic 1
Relationship to People
Venomous or Dangerous to Humans 1
Living or Extinct
Yes 2
Identification
Distinguishing Appearance
About 2,500 species are known worldwide. Many are conspicuous and some are aposematically colored, announcing their toxicity to would-be predators 1
Comparison
CITES Appendix
Not Listed 3
Scientific Name
Meloidae 1
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Coleoptera, Taxa
Source Wikidata: Meloidae
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Colombia

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Denmark

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Norway

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sweden

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

United States

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Blister beetle - Wikipedia
  • Introduction
    Blister beetles are beetles of the family Meloidae, so called for their defensive secretion of a blistering agent, cantharidin
  • Introduction, second sentence
    About 2,500 species are known worldwide. Many are conspicuous and some are aposematically colored, announcing their toxicity to would-be predators
  • Article text: "Cantharidin, a poisonous chemical that causes bl"
    Cantharidin, a poisonous chemical that causes blistering of the skin, is secreted as a defensive agent.
View the Source
2. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ297115, descriptionView the Source
3. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Insecta
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 28
Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 28
"cites_listing":"I/II/III/NC","eu_listing":"A/B/C/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":"Arthropoda","class":"Insecta","order":null,"family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"Insectos","language":"ES"},{"name":"Insects","language":"EN"},{"name":"Insectes","language":"FR"},{"name":"昆虫纲","language":"ZH"}],"cites_listings":[]
View the Source
Wikidata: Meloidae
  • Wikidata Q297115, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
  • Child Taxon Of: Coleoptera, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the Source
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Coleoptera
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 56
Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 56
"cites_listing":"II/III/NC","eu_listing":"B/C/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":"Arthropoda","class":"Insecta","order":"Coleoptera","family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"鞘翅目","language":"ZH"}],"cites_listings":[]
View the Source
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