Family: Meloidae
Subfamily: Meloinae
Length: 9-19 mm
These odd beetles are absurdly plump in the abdomen, a fact that seems to make their short elytra splay out so that they are oblique rather than parallel. Most species in the genus are blackish to metallic blue. There are twenty-one species in the Nearctic region, and six of these are found in the northeastern states. Unfortunately, narrowing the identification down to species can prove difficult. For what it is worth, the one species with a published West Virginia record is Meloe angusticollis.
These beetles are typically found walking on the ground or on rocks or logs. The elytra are short and the wings non-functional. The common name refers to the oily substance (containing noxious cantharidin) the beetle secretes from its leg joints when disturbed.
Beetles in this genus have an interesting life history. The larvae develop in bee nests, where they consume larval bees and the food stored in the nest.
Insects of West Virginia
