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- ›Blister Beetles
- ›Meloinae
- ›Meloini
- ›Meloe
Meloe
The blister beetle genus Meloe is a large, widespread group commonly referred to as oil beetles. 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. Members of this genus are typically flightless, without functional wings, and shortened elytra.
40 branches of this group, most-observed first
Black Oil Beetle
speciesMeloe proscarabaeus
Violet Oil Beetle
speciesMeloe violaceus
Meloe impressus
speciesMeloe impressus
Short-winged Blister Beetle
speciesMeloe angusticollis
Meloe campanicollis
speciesMeloe campanicollis
Buttercup Oil Beetle
speciesMeloe americanus
Meloe strigulosus
speciesMeloe strigulosus
Meloe formosensis
speciesMeloe formosensis
Meloe coarctatus
speciesMeloe coarctatus
Meloe niger
speciesMeloe niger
Meloe tropicus
speciesMeloe tropicus
Meloe bitoricollis
speciesMeloe bitoricollis
Meloe nebulosus
speciesMeloe nebulosus
Meloe auriculatus
speciesMeloe auriculatus
Meloe franciscanus
speciesMeloe franciscanus
Meloe dianella
speciesMeloe dianella
Meloe gracilior
speciesMeloe gracilior
Meloe orientalis
speciesMeloe orientalis
Meloe chinensis
speciesMeloe chinensis
Eastern ZA Oil Beetle
speciesMeloe hottentotus
Meloe kaszabi
speciesMeloe kaszabi
Meloe dugesi
speciesMeloe dugesi
Meloe carbonaceus
speciesMeloe carbonaceus
Meloe lobatus
speciesMeloe lobatus
Meloe arunachalae
speciesMeloe arunachalae
Meloe abyssinicus
speciesMeloe abyssinicus
Meloe monticola
speciesMeloe monticola
Meloe poggii
speciesMeloe poggii
Meloe nipponicus
speciesMeloe nipponicus
Meloe scabrus
speciesMeloe scabrus
Meloe vandykei
speciesMeloe vandykei
Meloe rhodesianus
speciesMeloe rhodesianus
Meloe distincticornis
speciesMeloe distincticornis
Meloe himalayensis
speciesMeloe himalayensis
Meloe kashmirensis
speciesMeloe kashmirensis
Meloe lateantennatus
speciesMeloe lateantennatus
Meloe shapovalovi
speciesMeloe shapovalovi
Meloe xuhaoi
speciesMeloe xuhaoi
Meloe hachijoensis
speciesMeloe hachijoensis
Meloe occultus
speciesMeloe occultus
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Meloe in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 809218.