Black and Red Blister Beetle

Bright red warns anyone wanting to touch this caustic little critter in the Southwest and Mexico to reconsider.

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Image Credit: Charles from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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Image Credit: Seth G. from AZ

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Image Credit: Saginaw, taken in Gallup, New Mexico.

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Image Credit: Saginaw, taken in Gallup, New Mexico.

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Thumbnail image #4 of the Black and Red Blister Beetle

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Image Credit: Saginaw, taken in Gallup, New Mexico.

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Thumbnail image #5 of the Black and Red Blister Beetle

TAXONOMY:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Meloidae

Genus: Megetra

Species: cancellata

The swollen body of the Black and Red Blister Beetle seems almost too big for its wings. The black abdomen is large by the head and has thin red bands crossing it. The small, bumpy elytra, or wing coverings, look like shoulder caps on the bulging abdomen, and they are covered in textured red marks. The black head has red on the back of it.

It may be tempting to touch one, but this beetle secretes a chemical that causes blisters on contact. It is an effective way to keep insects, birds, and animals from wanting to eat it. It is common to see one walking across the chaparral and sandy lots, and it confines its range to the arid southwest U.S. and Mexico.©BeetleIdentification.org

The Black and Red Blister Beetle is typically 0.3 inches to 0.5 inches (10mm to 15mm) in size and has the following descriptors / identifiers: black, red, flying, harmful, humpbacked, striped, blisters.

Color Identification Guide

Various colors commonly associated with this beetle.

Red

Black

Beetle Anatomy

Territorial Area Map (Visual Reference Guide)

The map below showcases (in blue) the states and territories of North America where the Black and Red Blister Beetle may be found (but is not limited to). This sort of data can be useful in seeing concentrations of a particular species over the continent as well as revealing possible migratory patterns over a species' given lifespan. Some species are naturally confined by environment, weather, mating habits, food resources and the like while others see widespread expansion across most, or all, of North America.

Alaska

Hawaii

Prince Edward Is.

Territory map graphic of the country of Mexico

Contiguous United States shape map layer graphic

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