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

Beetles doing the deed
I found several of these beetles chewing on leaves of the Wood Anemone flower/plant. They are about 1 1/2″ – 2 ” long. The location is the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, close to the S. shore of Lake Superior. In the one photo, there is another smaller beetle attached to the one eating. I guess these crafty critters are pretty advanced as they can do at least two things at one time! Wish the photo had captured it better but I had to give them a little privacy. So, can you help me identify them? Thanks
Ann

Hi Ann,
Your beetles are a species of Blister Beetle, in the genus Meloe, commonly called Oil Beetles. This seems to be a common habit among Blister Beetles, eating and procreating simultaneously.

unidentified cool bug from johua national park
Hi
I think it’s some kind of beetle but am not sure. I know I’ve never seen any like it. Anyway I’ll share naming rights with you if it’s never been seen before.
Henry Hagemeyer

Hi Henry,
We believe the location of your photo is Joshua Tree National Park, and this is the second image of a Master Blister Beetle we received today.

iron cross blister beetles — mating on cactus
Hi:
Thanks for helping me identify my bug — your site is great. I thought you might enjoy the picture of two iron-cross blister beetles ( Tegrodera latecincta ) mating on a cactus — it all looks a bit precarious! The cactus is a local “hedgehog cactus” ( Echinocereus sp. ). My yard was invaded by these bugs over the past couple of days; I’ve lived here 6 years and never seen them before. Best,
Jake
NW Tucson, AZ
Mid May 2008

Hi Jake,
Your photo of Iron Cross Blister Beetles mating is quite stunning.

Black insect with red stripes
Hi, Just found the name of this bug: Meloe majalis. You can find some detailed information (if you’re interested) here: http://www.faculty.ucr.edu/~legneref/taxonomy/meloidae.htm
Michelle

(04/28/2008) Hi again,
I just found on the web some pictures of similar bugs. It seems to be a Megetra. However I did not find one looking exactly like this and could not find any reference to european Megetras.

(04/27/2008) Black insect with red stripes
Hi,
I live in Portugal and found this “little” guy wandering around. I had never seen such an insect. Can you help me identify it? It is about 5cm long, runs quite fast and its body is flexible. Thanks.
Michelle

Ed. Note: As with many of our submissions, we had an offline dialog with Michelle regarding her Blister Beetle. Eventually she provided a more exact identification and we are posting her submission.

What is it?
I met with this and many others like it on my patio. Should I run?
Dave K

Hi Dave,
Put on the brakes. There is no need to run from the Iron Cross Blister Beetle, Tegrodera latecincta, as it will not attack you. It is, however, not perfectly harmless. Blister Beetles are capable of exuding an irritating chemical from their let joints that can cause blisters, hence the common name.