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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Fungus, Bark, Darkling and Blister Beetles (Tenebrionoidea) » Blister Beetles (Meloidae) » Oil Beetles (Meloe) » Short-Winged Blister Beetle (Meloe angusticollis)
Photo#181788
Large blue termite??? - Meloe angusticollis
Copyright © 2008 Alan Emery

Large blue termite??? - Meloe angusticollis
Janetville, Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, Canada
May 8, 2008
Size: approximately 3 cm
This large termite-like insect is bright metallic blue. It is about 3 cm when happy and coils up to about 1.5 cm when pretending to be dead. It plays possum when touched or when a sudden dark shadow passes over it. When it stops playing possum, it hightails it for a cranny to hide in. The head and thorax are very mobile and it seems to make "decisions". First defense includes an orange exudate.

Images of this individual: tag all
Large blue termite??? - Meloe angusticollis Large blue termite??? - Meloe angusticollis Large blue termite??? - Meloe angusticollis Large blue termite??? - Meloe angusticollis Large blue termite??? - Meloe angusticollis
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Contributed by Alan Emery on 10 May, 2008 - 8:01pm
Last updated 5 June, 2009 - 10:22pm

Meloe angusticollis
John Pinto det.

Moved from Oil Beetles.
… v belov, 5 June, 2009 - 10:22pm login or register to post comments

oil beetle (meloe)
when i saw my first one of these it surprised me too!


i think they are called "oil beetle" because of the nastyness that they secrete
… Vespula vulgaris, 10 May, 2008 - 8:17pm login or register to post comments

 
Meloe
That was fast!

Many thanks, this was the second one I had seen. The first one appeared to die so instead of taking a picture, I put it in the grass. Moments later when I went to look at it again, it was gone. So when the second one up and "died" as well, I waited to see if it was a ruse -- sure enough it recovered as soon as it was no longer aware of my presence.

Alan
… Alan Emery, 10 May, 2008 - 8:57pm login or register to post comments

 
Oh gee,
I so wanted it to be a giant blue termite ;-)
… Jim McClarin, 11 May, 2008 - 8:35pm login or register to post comments

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