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Meloe americanus is a type of blister beetle (Meloidae) found in North America. It is most relevant to the fields of agriculture and veterinary medicine. Adult beetles feed on different types of plants, which cause crop damage. They also release a fluid containing a chemical that is toxic, and at high concentrations lethal, to mammals. The first instar larvae are uniquely active and mobile, utilizing phoresy and parasitism to feed and mature through their developmental stages.
From Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is it venomous or poisonous?
Poisonous. The note covers its whole family. Blister beetles; cantharidin, blisters on contact Never eat, touch or handle a wild plant, mushroom or animal on the strength of an identification; ask someone qualified.
Easily confused with
- Meloe strigulosus — poisonous
- Meloe campanicollis — poisonous
- Meloe angusticollis — poisonous
- Meloe impressus — poisonous
- Meloe laevis — poisonous
- Meloe decorus — poisonous
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Coleoptera
- Family
- Meloidae
- Genus
- Meloe
- Species
- Meloe americanus
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