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Index of Subjects
Index of Subjects --Apple-Mail-80-682728019 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Bob, There is no doubt that this is a beetle in the genus Meloe. It's certainly not Meloe americanus (which is not found in Nova Scotia). There are four species of Meloe found in Nova Scotia, the two very common ones being Meloe angusticollis Say and Meloe impressus Kirby (Meloe dianellus Pinto & Selander and Meloe niger Kirby are also found). It's not possible to tell which of these this female is since one needs to see details of the punctation on the head and pronotum to differentiate them. M. dianellus is the only species that has been recorded in Guysborough County, but all the species could potentially occur. These beetles dig in the sand since they lay eggs in the nests of ground-nesting bees, their larvae being parasitoids on the larvae and pupae of bees. They are also interesting in that the cantharidin is produced by the males and is transferred to females during copulation. Cantharidin is a significant toxin and a vesicating substance. It has, on occasion, been know to cause serious illness (and even deaht) in grazing animals such as horses. Should you be there again, it would be worth collecting one of these specimens to determine the identity of the species. All the best! Chris On 31-May-10, at 6:22 PM, Rick Ballard wrote: > On the walk along the Glenelg, St. Mary's River floodplain with Bob > Bancroft I took this photo of a large flightless Blister Beetle > digging in the sand. In fact its head is buried in the sand. There > was some discussion at the time as to whether it was a beetle, since > it does not have the usual full wing covers. I sent a short note off > to www.whatsthisbug.com last night and got an answer this morning. > > Luckily no one picked it up...Wikipedia says the following: > > "They are known as "oil beetles" because they release oily droplets > of hemolymph from their joints when disturbed; this contains > cantharidin, a poisonous chemical causing blistering of the skin and > painful swelling." > > -- > Rick Ballard > Dartmouth,Nova Scotia, Canada > http://www.ideaphore.com Christopher Majka <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca> | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada * Research Associate: Nova Scotia Museum | http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/research-asfr.htm * Review Editor: The Coleopterists Bulletin | http://www.coleopsoc.org/ * Subject Editor: ZooKeys | http://pensoftonline.net/zookeys/index.php/journal/index * Associate Editor: Journal of the Acadian Entomological Society | http://www.acadianes.org/journal.html * Editor: Atlantic Canada Coleoptera | http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/atlantic_coleoptera.html "Whenever I hear of the capture of rare beetles, I feel like an old war-horse at the sound of a trumpet." - Charles Darwin --Apple-Mail-80-682728019 Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi = Bob,<div><br></div><div>There is no doubt that this is a beetle in the = genus Meloe. It's certainly not <i>Meloe americanus</i> (which is not = found in Nova Scotia). There are four species of <i>Meloe</i> found in = Nova Scotia, the two very common ones being <i>Meloe = angusticollis</i> Say and <i>Meloe impressus</i> Kirby (<i>Meloe = dianellus</i> Pinto & Selander and <i>Meloe niger</i> Kirby are = also found). It's not possible to tell which of these this female is = since one needs to see details of the punctation on the head and = pronotum to differentiate them. <i>M.</i> <span = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-style: italic; = ">dianellus</span> is the only species that has been recorded in = Guysborough County, but all the species could potentially = occur.</div><div><br></div><div>These beetles dig in the sand since they = lay eggs in the nests of ground-nesting bees, their larvae being = parasitoids on the larvae and pupae of bees. They are also interesting = in that the cantharidin is produced by the males and is transferred to = females during copulation. Cantharidin is a significant toxin and a = vesicating substance. It has, on occasion, been know to cause serious = illness (and even deaht) in grazing animals such as = horses.</div><div><br></div><div>Should you be there again, it would be = worth collecting one of these specimens to determine the identity of the = species.</div><div><br></div><div>All the = best!</div><div><br></div><div>Chris</div><div><br><div><div>On = 31-May-10, at 6:22 PM, Rick Ballard wrote:</div><br = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type=3D"cite">On the = walk along the Glenelg, St. Mary's River floodplain with Bob Bancroft I = took this <a = href=3D"http://www.flickr.com/photos/ideaphore/4657582046/">photo</a> of = a large flightless <a href=3D"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meloe">Blister = Beetle</a> digging in the sand. In fact its head is buried in the sand. = There was some discussion at the time as to whether it was a beetle, = since it does not have the usual full wing covers. I sent a short note = off to www.whatsthisbug.com = last night and got an answer this morning.<br> <br>Luckily no one picked = it up...Wikipedia says the following:<br><br><div style=3D"margin-left: = 40px;">"They are known as "oil beetles" because they release oily = droplets of hemolymph from their joints when disturbed; this contains = cantharidin, a poisonous chemical causing blistering of the skin and = painful swelling."<br clear=3D"all"></div><br>-- <br>Rick Ballard = <br>Dartmouth,Nova Scotia, Canada <br><a = href=3D"http://www.ideaphore.com">http://www.ideaphore.com</a><br></blockq= uote></div><br></div><br><br><div apple-content-edited=3D"true"> <span = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color: = rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14px; = font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; = letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: = auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; = widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; = -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; = -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-siz