Looks like an Iron Cross Blister Beetle?
Wed, Nov 12, 2008 at 11:44 AM
We found this beetle in El Cañon de Guadalupe which is between Tecate & Mexicali in Baja California 11-08-08. We saw alot of these getting together on rocks. We looked thru the archives and found the very similar Iron Cross Blister but the wing case doesn’t look the same nor the color of its head. It’s color is more of a dark rich red not a bright.
Macajr
El Cañon de Guadalupe which is between Tecate & Mexicali in Baja California.
Blister Beetle
Hi Macajr,
We agree that this is some species of Blister Beetle, but we do not recognize it. We can’t even decide what the genus is. We will try to contact Eric Eaton for assistance.
Blister Beetles
Hi:
I’m relatively certain this is a species in the genus Tegrodera, just not as ornate as the ones from the southwest U.S.
Eric
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Posted 13 November 2008
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Blue metallic Beetles mating
Mon, Nov 3, 2008 at 12:30 PM
Hello Bugman,
I found a half dozen pairs of shiny, slow moving beetles in my friend’s
lawn late this summer. Any idea what these are or will become? They were about 1-1.5 inches long and a bit bigger around than an average Sharpie marker. Thanks!
Looking for bugs in NE
Oakland, Maine,northeastern United States
Mating Oil Beetles
Dear Looking,
These are mating Oil Beetles, Blister Beetles in the genus Meloe.
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Posted 05 November 2008
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Tagged: bug love
Mating blister beetles
Fri, Oct 24, 2008 at 10:31 AM
Hey fellows, love the new website design! Here are the mating blister beetles from Shilo, Manitoba, Canada
Sherry
Shilo, Manitoba, Canada
Mating Blister Beetles
Hi Sherry,
WE have received images of these Blister Beetles from Canada in the past, and we have not had any success with identifying the species. We have matched the images to the genus Lytta on BugGuide, though the indication is that the species might be Lytta nutalli or Lytta cyanipennis.
Mating Blister Beetles
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Posted 25 October 2008
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Tagged: bug love
Some sort of blister beetle?
Thu, Oct 23, 2008 at 1:34 PM
We were out walking Jester again and nearly tripped over this fellow walking down the road. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a macro lens or adapter with me so the photos aren’t all that good, but I couldn’t resist.
There do seem to be rather a lot of these beetles around lately — I don’t actually remember ever seeing them at all, before.
Have I mentioned lately how much I enjoy this site?
Thanks,
Pat
Southwest Michigan (about a mile or so from Lake Michigan)
Oil Beetle
Hi Pat,
Your Blister Beetle is in the genus Meloe, the Oil Beetles. The common name refers to the oily substance that is emitted by the joints of the leg. This oily substance contains cantharidin which is a skin irritant explaining the common name Blister Beetle used for the entire family Meloidae. The infamous aphrodisiac Spanish Fly was originally derived from a European relative Lytta vesicatoria.
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Posted 24 October 2008
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A Beetle Picture For You
Howdy! I was out and about some weeks ago and caught on camera this fabulous shiny beetle. I immediately tried finding out what it was, but to no avail, and soon gave up. Just now, however, I came upon your site again (I’ve come across it before but forgot about it) and saw a submission from Las Cruces, New Mexico that was the same kind of beetle, that now I know is a Desert Spider Beetle. My beetle was in El Paso, Texas, about a 45 minute drive from Las Cruces. Well, just wanted to share my picture and say thanks for helping me ID this guy (it was killing me not to know!) and that your site is great! Keep up the good work! 
Jen
Desert Spider Beetle
Hi Jen,
Your Desert Spider Beetle is a Blister Beetle in the genus Cysteodemus. We are not certain of the exact species, but we are very happy our site assisted you in the identification.
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Posted 19 September 2008
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bug identification
I sent a picture of these bugs the other day-then I read your message about location! I am in Blue Mound, IL which is in the heartland of the Midwest. THese bugs are devouring my green bean leafs and beans. In these photos, they are feeding! I would like to know what they are-are they any benefit to anything at all? Thanks,
Marla
Hi Marla,
This is a Margined Blister Beetle, Epicauta pestifera. Since we are artists and not entomologists, we are permitted to have whacky theories about insects without worrying about seeming ridiculous to our peers. Many Blister Beetles are found in areas of arid climate. We have pondered the unusual life cycle of Blister Beetles for some time now. When the adult Blister Beetles appear, it is often in great numbers, and their ravenous appetites cause them to defoliate plants. The immature Blister Beetles do not compete with adults for food as the larvae of many genera feed on the eggs of grasshoppers. Grasshoppers would compete with the adult Blister Beetles for food in areas where food is scarce, so the larvae are helping to reduce the population of insects that compete for food with the adults. Thank you for writing back with your location.
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Posted 29 August 2008
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It’s big but what is it?
I’m out in the field in the southern Owens Valley, east of the Sierra Nevada in California, at about 4600′, and without reference materials. I’ve run across this insect that I can’t recall seeing before, but it’s fairly large (c. 3 cm in length), so I’m surprised that I’ve not noticed it before and I’m really curious about it. See attached photo. It, and several of it’s brethren, are crawling about rather clumsily on some phlox-like flowers. Can someone identify it for me? Thank you,
Jan
Hi Jan,
This is an Iron Cross Blister Beetle in the genus Tegrodera.
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Posted 04 August 2008
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OMG, I think he’s ANGRY! Canonsburg, PA
PLEASE, for the love of GOD, WHAT have I ticked off here?? I’ve searched your pages, and the closest I’ve come is the marginal blister beetle. Whatever he is, he’s mad, and until I can identify him, I’m not venturing back outside!
Misty Doy
Hi Misty,
We concur with your identification of a Margined Blister Beetle, Epicauta pestifera. We hope you have a good book to entertain you until it is safe to venture back out into the yard, or you could just plod through our archive which should take several months.
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Posted 04 August 2008
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Help identifying purple beetle found in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada
Hello,
We would like to know what kind of beetle this is. We found him on a wild rose bush in the desert scrub near Drumheller Alberta. He is green on his underside, legs and head and has purplish wings. He is about an inch long not including his antenna.
There is a photo matching your specimen posted to Bugguide, and Eric Eaton wrote: “One of the blister beetles in the genus Lytta, possibly L. nutalli or L. cyanipennis.” Perhaps one of our readers can provide an accurate identification for this positively gorgeous Blister Beetle.
Arizona Beetle on Creosote Bush
The attached picture was taken in an area called Cascabel in Cochise County, Arizona. The area is approximately 30 miles north of the town of Benson, at an elevation of 3500 feet above sea level. The bugs were quite numerous on several creosote bushes. Please identify. Thanks,
Bob Evans
Beetle on Creosote Bush, Cascabel, Arizona
Hi Bob,
Your beetle is a Blister Beetle in the family Meloidae. It closely resembles an unidentified beetle in the genus Pyrota from Texas that was posted to BugGuide, but it is not an exact match. We will contact Eric Eaton for assistance.
Update: (07/28/2008) From Eric Eaton
Daniel:
Hope your lecture at the Getty went well! … Your identifications of the blister beetles are correct to genus. There is no easy way to determine species without having a collection to compare to, or the specimen in hand to run through a “key.” Lots of individual variation in color (and pattern in the case of Pyrota) makes ID impossible from an image alone. … I think that covers all your questions. Keep up the great work.
Eric
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Posted 27 July 2008
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is this some kind of Blister Beetle?
Hi, just found your web site – awesome bugs.
I am in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and found this beautiful bug on a poppy leaf this afternoon. The only thing that I can find that sort of resembles it is the blister beetle, however it has a dull plain back and only the head parts and some of the under belly are iridescent. Can you ID? Thanks
D
Hi D,
Your are correct. This is a Blister Beetle. We believe it is in the genus Lytta. We found a match on BugGuide, also from Canada, but it is not identified to the species level. We will contact Eric Eaton to see if he can comment.
Update: (07/28/2008) From Eric Eaton
Daniel:
Hope your lecture at the Getty went well! … Your identifications of the blister beetles are correct to genus. There is no easy way to determine species without having a collection to compare to, or the specimen in hand to run through a “key.” Lots of individual variation in color (and pattern in the case of Pyrota) makes ID impossible from an image alone. … I think that covers all your questions. Keep up the great work.
Eric
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Posted 25 July 2008
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4 pictures for you
What kind of beetle. Rural Ottawa, Ontario Canada. There’re defoliating my lupins. How do I get rid of them?
Iris MacPherson
Hi Iris,
These are Blister Beetles in the genus Lytta. We found a match from Canada on BugGuide, but it is not identified to the species level.
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Posted 09 June 2008
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