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 are conspicuous and some are aposematically colored, announcing their toxicity to would-be predators.

Oct 6, 2024 · First instar larvae (triungulins) are active, have well-developed legs and antennae, and search for hosts. Later instars tend to have reduced legs and be less active. There is a coarctate (pseudopupal) stage, which is usually how the larvae overwinter.

All blister beetle larvae are specialized predators. Larvae of most genera enter the nests of wild bees, where they consume both immature bees and the provisions of one or more nest cells. The larvae of some Meloinae, including most Epicauta spp., prey on the eggs of acridid grasshoppers.

The tarsal formula is 5-5-4 (similar to darkling beetles), but the tarsal claws of meloids are split lengthwise to give the appearance of four claws on each foot. Adult blister beetles feed on nectar and pollen; the larvae are predators of grasshopper eggs or parasites of bee larvae.

Beetles of the Coleoptera Family Meloidae are Predators of bee and grasshopper egg masses as larvae. Most are active, colorful beetles, of green, blue back, spotted, or grey. They feed on flowers, and sometimes leaves, of many plant species.

Oct 19, 2015 · A classification of the first instar larvae of the Meloidae (Coleoptera). Entomology Volume 12. University of California Press. 182 pp. MacSwain, J.W. 1958. Taxonomic and biological observations on the genus Hornia (Coleoptera: Meloidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 51(4): 390-396. Marschalek, D.A. 2013.

Feb 14, 2025 · First-instar larvae climb to the top of a plant in numbers, clump together in the shape of a female bee, exude a scent imitating the female bee pheromone. When a male bee tries to mate with the clump, the larvae clamp onto his hairs and eventually get to female bees when he mates for real.

Blister Beetle Larvae. The larvae are insectivorous (a carnivore with a diet that consists primarily of insects and similar small creatures), mainly attacking bees, though a few feed on grasshopper eggs.

Larvae: Known as triungulins in their first instar, often parasitic on bee or grasshopper eggs. Pupation: Occurs after several larval stages. Adult: Emerges from pupa ready to reproduce.

The larvae of some genera are important grasshopper parasitoids. Also, certain species in California are now considered rare and endangered. A recently discovered species of MELOE in California chaparral may also fall into this category.