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Blister BeetlesBeetle ID
Hello~
I was hiking with friends in the desert the other day in Baja and we came across these beetles on a margarite bush (incensio in Spanish). They had black wings. Underneath, they were red-orange with black dots. Very pretty. Thank You!
Lynn
Hi Lynn,
Your beetle is Lytta magister, the Master Blister Beetle. According to BugGuide: “Pressing or rubbing adult blister beetles may cause them to exude some of their hemolymph (”blood”), which contains Cantharidin. Cantharidin causes blistering of the skin, thus the name blister beetle.”
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