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Wednesday, 24 December 2014

Blister Beetle: Mylabris pustulata


Location: Karnataka, India
Season: Winter, Novenmber
Order: Coleoptera 
Family: Meloidae 
Mylabris pustulata

We have a field full of Pigeon Peas (Toor Dal) growing in our farm in rural Bangalore. There are a lot of these beetles floating about from flower to flower. They are huge and it looks like the wings struggle to keep them in flight. They are very pretty to watch but they don't do good for the crop.

As the name Blister Beetle and Pustulata suggest, the exudate from these beetles can cause blisters on the human skin.

References: Recent Advances in Ecobiological Research, Volume 2, Wikipedia

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