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Blister Beetle

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Blister Beetle The family Meloidae, blister beetles, contains about 2500 species, divided among 80 genera and three subfamilies Description: Blister beetles vary by ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Blister Beetle


1
Blister Beetle
2
  • The family Meloidae, blister beetles, contains
    about 2500 species, divided among 80 genera and
    three subfamilies

3
Description
  • Blister beetles vary by species in shape, size
    (3/8 to 1 inch long) and color (solid gray to
    black or with paler wing margins, metallic,
    yellowish striped or spotted).
  • Most are long, cylindrical narrow-bodied beetles
    that have heads that are wider than the first
    thoracic segment (pronotum). The wing (elytra)
    covers are usually soft and pliable.

4
  • Although over 100 species occur in Texas, common
    blister beetles include, the black blister
    beetle Epicauta pennsylvanica (De Geer), E.
    occidentalis (east and central Texas) and E.
    temexa (south Texas) are mostly orangish-yellow
    with three black stripes on each of the wing
    covers (elytra). A west Texas species,
    Cysteodemus armatus LeConte, has wing covers that
    are broadly oval and convex, colored black with
    bluish or purplish highlights.

Blister beetles,Epicauta sp.(Coleoptera
Meloidae),mating on Texas mountain laurel.Photo
by Drees
5
Life Cycle
  • Complete metamorphosis hypermetamorphosis.
    Winter is spent in later larval stages and
    pupation occurs in the spring. The pupal stage
    lasts about 2 weeks and adults appear in early
    summer. Female beetles lay clusters of eggs in
    the soil. The first stage (instar) larva hatching
    from the egg (triungulin) is a tiny, active,
    long-legged larva that seeks the appropriate
    host.

Blister Beetle Life CycleA adult, E egg, T
first instar or triungulin, FG first grub
phase,C coarctate phase in instar six or
seven, SG second grub phase, P pupa
6
Habitat and Food Source(s)
  • Mouthparts are for chewing. Blister beetle
    species feed on flowers and foliage of a wide
    variety of crops including alfalfa, ornamental
    plants, potatoes, garden vegetables and other
    plants.

Black blister beetle,Epicauta pennsylvanica
(DeGeer)(Coleoptera Meloidae),on goldenrod
flowers.Photo by Drees
7
Medical and Veterinary Importance
  • Blister beetles receive their common name from
    the ability of their hemolymph to produce
    blistering on contact with human skin. Hemolymph
    is often exuded copiously by reflexive bleeding
    when an adult beetle is pressed or rubbed.
    Blisters commonly occur on the neck and arms, as
    the result of exposure to adult beetles attracted
    to outdoor lights at night.

8
Pest Status
  • Adults usually occur in loose groups or swarms
    that feed on leaves of certain plants, especially
    legumes. Their bodies contain a toxin
    (cantharadin) that can cause blisters to form on
    the skin. Animals, particularly horses, ingesting
    beetle contaminated feed become extremely ill and
    may die. Handling blister beetles can cause
    blisters on the skin as a reaction to cantharadin

9
  • Cases of fatal poisonings of valuable horses in
    Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas by
    ingestion of blister beetles trapped in baled
    alfalfa hay
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