Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
=pestifera Werner, 1949 (the name used for this species in the Guide till mid-April 2009. - =v=)
Range
Throughout eastern North America
Remarks
Page renamed 4/12/2009 to comply with the current nomenclature of the species. The outdated name has been noticed, and change suggested, by Dr. John Pinto (pers. comm.) =v=
See Also
the black blister beetle, E. pensylvanica (De Geer), and the clematis blister beetle, E. cinerea (Förster).
Epicauta funebris and E. cinerea are broadly sympatric throughout eastern North America, each with three color forms: black, cinereous, and margined. The margined form predominates from the Mississippi River east to New England and Florida. The cinereous form occurs from southern Kansas and Missouri to Nebraska and Iowa. The black form of E. funebris occurs in the Southwest, primarily from Texas and eastern Louisiana north to southern Kansas. E. funebris is easily separated from E. cinerea by the enlarged maxillary palp and the form of the antenna (Pinto 1991). The black form of E. funebris can also be confused with E. pensylvanica, but in E. funebris the third segment of the maxillary palp is longer than the width of the eye. In E. pensylvanica it is shorter than the width of the eye. (Barnes 2005)
Print References
Carrel, J.E., M.H. McCairel and A.J. Slagle. 1993. Cantharidin production in a blister beetle. Experientia. 49: 171-174.
AbstractInternet References
Ebony blister beetle - Barnes, J.K. 2005. ARTHROPOD MUSEUM NOTES. University of Arkansas. Number 38.
