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Blister Beetle

Meloe violaceus

Photo by Beck
Published on Project Noah
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41.1784, -75.5805

Field Notes

Description:

In body this guy looks like an odd cross of a beetle, an ant, and the abdomen of a wasp; he has wings (I think?) and he's dark metallic blue all over except for the underside of his thorax, which is bright yellow. He has 6 legs and segmented antennae.

Notes:

Found this guy crawling across the pool deck at work, I've never seen anything like it. Beautiful blue coloration.

Thanks to Keith I now know that this bug can give you an awful blistery rash, I looked it up and found that it is Meloe violaceus.

Reference Links:

Meloe violaceus Marsham, 1802

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (2)
Beck
Thank you!! I'll look that up... I should probably be more careful handling wildlife.. my coworkers things I'm nuts as it is :P
KeithRoragen
It is a Blister Beetle. Looks like one of the Oil Beetles (Genus=Meloe) Based on the antenna, probably a female. Careful handling these beetles. They can exude a substance which can cause skin irritation.
Photographed
PublishedAugust 21, 2011

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