blister beetle

n. Any of various beetles of the family Meloidae, such as the Spanish fly, that secrete cantharidin, a substance that blisters the skin and is toxic to livestock that consume hay contaminated with the beetles. Also called meloid.

blister beetle

n (Animals) any beetle of the family Meloidae, many of which produce a secretion that blisters the skin. See also Spanish fly

blis′ter bee`tle

n. any of various beetles of the family Meloidae, many of which produce a secretion capable of blistering the skin. [1810–20]

Thesaurus

Noun

blister beetle - beetle that produces a secretion that blisters the skinmeloidbeetle - insect having biting mouthparts and front wings modified to form horny covers overlying the membranous rear wingsfamily Meloidae, Meloidae - blister beetlesoil beetle - any of various beetles that exude an oily substance from the leg joints that deters enemiesSpanish fly - green beetle of southern Europe

blister beetle

blister beetle,

common name for certain soft-bodied, usually black or brown, mostly elongate and cylindrical beetles belonging to the family Meloidae. Blister beetles are common insects found feeding on the flowers and foliage of various plants. Occasionally some, e.g., potato beetlespotato beetle,
name for two beetles of the leaf beetle family and for two of the blister beetle family, all destructive to the potato plant and its relatives. Most notorious is the Colorado potato beetle, or potato bug (Leptinotarsa decemlineata
..... Click the link for more information. , become serious defoliating pests of potatoes, tomatoes, beets, asters, and other crops and flowers. The larvae are predacious or parasitic, feeding on the eggs of grasshoppers and of bees. Blister beetles undergo hypermetamorphosis, a complex life cycle with several different larval forms. The first of the six larval stages, called a triungulin, is a minute, active, and long-legged form that seeks out the host's nest; the following stages are grublike. Adults emerge in midsummer. One group of blister beetles has body fluids that contain cantharadin, a substance that can cause the skin to blister, from which the family gets its name. The Spanish fly (Lytta vesicatoria), a bright green or bluish blister beetle, is a common S European species from which cantharides are extracted and commercially prepared by crushing the wing covers (elytra) of the adults. This quite poisonous chemical is used medicinally as a skin irritant (in plasters), a diuretic, and an aphrodisiac. The lethal dosage for man is about .03 grams. Another group of meloid beetles has no cantharadin and is sometimes called the oil beetles because of the oily substance they secrete as protection against predators. Blister and oil beetles may be brushed into pans of kerosene or killed with systemic poisons or contact insecticides. Blister beetles are classified in the phylum ArthropodaArthropoda
[Gr.,=jointed feet], largest and most diverse animal phylum. The arthropods include crustaceans, insects, centipedes, millipedes, spiders, scorpions, and the extinct trilobites.
..... Click the link for more information. , class Insecta, order Coleoptera, family Meloidae.

blister beetle

An arthropod—Cantharis vesicatoria or Lytta vesicatoria, Family Meloidae—from which ‘Spanish fly’ originates; when applied to mucocutaneous surfaces, it causes erythema, urticaria, and vesiculation; orally, it causes gastrointestinal irritation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramping, collapse; 60 mg of this nephrotoxic agent may be fatal
Management Ammonia may ameliorate the pruritus induced by blister fluid; corticosteroids may relieve pain

blister beetle

blister beetle

blister beetle

blis′ter bee`tle

blister beetle

blister beetle,

blister beetle

blister beetle

blister beetle

Synonyms for blister beetle

noun beetle that produces a secretion that blisters the skin

Synonyms

Related Words