Blister Beetles (Coleoptera: Meloidae)

Blister beetles are an interesting group of insects, both because of their unusual larval development and because of their toxic effects on humans and livestock. They are widely distributed, but are absent from New Zealand and Antarctica. They are most abundant in warm, dry climates. They number about 3,000 species. Their classification is as follows:

• Order: Coleoptera

  • Suborder: Polyphaga

    • Superfamily: Tenebrionoidae

      • Family: Meloidae

        • Subfamily: Eleticinae

        • Subfamily: Meloinae

        • Subfamily: Nemognathinae

        • Subfamily: Tetraonycinae

Characteristics

These are medium-sized beetles (usually 3–30 mm, but some up to 70 mm) with 7–11 antennal segments. There are five, five and four segments on the pro-, meso-, and metathoracic tarsi, respectively. The color is variable; though often somber, some are metallic. Body hairs often are absent but sometimes dense. The pronotum of blister beetles is narrower than the head and thorax. The legs are long, and the body is unusually soft for a beetle. The body is...