| Epicauta hirticornis | |
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| Species: | E. hirticornis |
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| Epicauta hirticornis Haag-Rutenberg,1880 [1] | |
Epicauta hirticornis is a beetle species from the family of oil beetles (Meloidae). The species was first scientifically described in 1880 by Haag-Rutenberg.
Epicauta hirticornis beetles have slender bodies with black elytra, red heads, and black-and-white striped abdomens. [2] Their heads are distinctly separated from the prothorax, and the tip of their abdomens are visible beyond the tip of their elytra. [3] They are gregarious and typically found in groups.
Before mating, pairs of Epicauta hirticornis display unique courtship behavior. When the male mounts a female, he will entwine either his left or right antenna with the female's own, forming a double-helix shape. [4] Once entwined, the antennae then vibrate, typically for between 30-60 seconds. Females occasionally avoid mating by pressing their antennae against the surfaces of their host plant or by otherwise hiding their antennae.
Gravid females lay their elongated yellow eggs in clusters of 100–200 in holes they make in the soil. [3] Once the larvae hatch, they burrow through the soil until they find a grasshopper egg mass to feed upon. Over the next 3-4 weeks, the larvae will molt four times, and develop through a series of highly morphologically distinct instars.
Like other species of burning blister beetles, Epicauta hirticornis produces a compound known as cantharidin. [5] As a powerful vesicant, cantharidin produces intense irritation of the skin and when ingested, can irritate the mucus membranes of the gastrointestinal tract and the urinary bladder and urethra. [6] Signs of cantharidin poisoning in humans include vomiting, vomiting blood, abdominal pain, weakness, burning sensation in the mouth and pharynx, bloody urine, low urine volume, and mucosal erosion and hemorrhage in the upper gastrointestinal tract.
The cantharidin produced by Epicauta hirticornis has traditionally been used in the folk medicine practices of various regions, including as an anti-tumor agent by the Karbi people of India [5] and as an aphrodisiac in traditional Chinese medicine. [4] Research suggests that cantharidin may help to inhibit the energy and anabolic supply to cancer cells. [5]
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera, in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 described species, is the largest of all orders, constituting almost 40% of described insects and 25% of all known animal species; new species are discovered frequently, with estimates suggesting that there are between 0.9 and 2.1 million total species. Found in almost every habitat except the sea and the polar regions, they interact with their ecosystems in several ways: beetles often feed on plants and fungi, break down animal and plant debris, and eat other invertebrates. Some species are serious agricultural pests, such as the Colorado potato beetle, while others such as Coccinellidae eat aphids, scale insects, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects that damage crops. Some others also have unusual characteristics, such as fireflies, which use a light-emitting organ for mating and communication purposes.
Lytta vesicatoria, also known as the Spanish fly, is an aposematic emerald-green beetle in the blister beetle family (Meloidae). It is distributed across Eurasia.
Cantharidin is an odorless, colorless fatty substance of the terpenoid class, which is secreted by many species of blister beetles. Its main current use in pharmacology is treating molluscum contagiosum and warts topically. It is a burn agent and poisonous in large doses, and has been historically used as aphrodisiacs. In its natural form, cantharidin is secreted by the male blister beetle, and given to the female as a copulatory gift during mating. Afterwards, the female beetle covers her eggs with it as a defense against predators.
Blister beetles are beetles of the family Meloidae, so called for their defensive secretion of a blistering agent, cantharidin. About 7,500 species are known worldwide. Many are conspicuous and some are aposematically colored, announcing their toxicity to would-be predators.
Pyrochroa coccinea, commonly known as the black-headed cardinal beetle, is a species of cardinal beetle in the family Pyrochoidae. It is found mainly in wooded areas and pastures throughout central Europe, including southern Great Britain. Similar to other species of Ambrosia beetles, P. coccinea live and reproduce on wooden logs in early stages of decomposition. Larvae develop over the span of many years, with overlapping generations often inhabiting a single wooden territory. Adults, however, are short-lived and exist during a brief season. They typically show up in April, become more populous in May and early June, and become very rare in the remaining months.
Meloe is a genus of blister beetles commonly referred to as oil beetles. The name derives from their defensive strategy: when threatened they release oily droplets of hemolymph from their joints. This fluid is bright orange and contains cantharidin, a poisonous chemical compound. Wiping the chemical on skin can cause blistering and painful swelling of the skin. This defensive strategy is not exclusive to this genus; all meloids possess and exude cantharidin upon threat.
Meloe angusticollis, commonly known as the short-winged blister beetle or oil beetle, is a species of blister beetle, native to North America. They average 9-19 mm in length — females are much larger than males. When disturbed the adult releases oily droplets of hemolymph from its body to repel potential predators, which may cause blistering on human skin.
Meloe violaceus, the violet oil beetle, is a species of oil beetle belonging to the family Meloidae subfamily Meloinae.
Hycleus polymorphus is a species of Blister Beetles belonging to the family Meloidae subfamily Meloinae.
Epicauta is a genus of beetles in the blister beetle family, Meloidae. The genus was first scientifically described in 1834 by Pierre François Marie Auguste Dejean. Epicauta is distributed nearly worldwide, with species native to all continents except Australia and Antarctica. Surveys have found the genus to be particularly diverse in northern Arizona in the United States. Few species occur in the Arctic, with none farther north than the southern edge of the Northwest Territories, Canada.
Epicauta vittata is a species of beetle in the family Meloidae, the blister beetles. It is native to eastern North America, including eastern Canada and the eastern United States. It is known commonly as the striped blister beetle and the old-fashioned potato beetle. It is known as an agricultural pest.
Berberomeloe is a genus within the tribe Lyttini of the family Meloidae, the oil or blister beetles. It includes two species, the red-striped oil beetle, Berberomeloe majalis, and the less flamboyant Berberomeloe insignis.
Ceroctis capensis, or spotted blister beetle, is diurnal and endemic to Southern Africa occurring in diverse habitats, and belonging to the Meloidae or Blister beetle family. It secretes a toxic liquid from its leg joints when roughly handled, blistering human skin. This species somewhat resembles Mylabris oculata, a member of the same family.
Epicauta atrata, the red-headed blister beetle, is a species of blister beetle in the family Meloidae. It is found in Central America and North America.
Meloe americanus is a type of blister beetle (Meloidae) found in North America. It is most relevant to the fields of agriculture and veterinary medicine. Adult beetles feed on different types of plants, which cause crop damage. They also release a fluid containing a chemical that is toxic, and at high concentrations lethal, to mammals. The first instar larvae are uniquely active and mobile, utilizing phoresy and parasitism to feed and mature through their developmental stages.
Tegrodera aloga, the iron cross blister beetle, is a species of blister beetle in the family Meloidae. It is found in Arizona, California, and Sonora.
Mylabris variabilis is a species of blister beetle belonging to the Meloidae family.
Apalus bimaculatus, the early blister beetle, is a species of blister beetle from the family Meloidae. It is the type species of the genus Apalus.
Sitaris muralis is a species of blister beetle in the subfamily Nemognathinae in the family Meloidae. It is found in Western Europe. It is a black beetle with buff-orange patches on the front of the elytra. It is a kleptoparasite of digger bees.
Physomeloe corallifer is a species of blister beetle native to the Iberian Peninsula, it is the only recognised species in the genus Physomeloe.
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