BLISTER BEETLE


Meaning of BLISTER BEETLE in English

Any of approximately 2,000 species of beetles (family Meloidae) that secrete an irritating substance, cantharidin, which is used medically as a topical skin irritant to remove warts.

In the past, cantharidin was often used to induce blisters, a common remedy for many ailments, and the dried remains of Spanish fly ( Lytta vesicatoria ) were a major ingredient in so-called love potions. Adult blister beetles, which are often brightly coloured, range between 0.1 and 0.8 in. (3–20 mm) in length. Blister beetles are both helpful and harmful to humans; the larvae eat grasshopper eggs, but the adults destroy crops.

Blister beetle ( Lytta magister ).

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.