Species Lytta nuttalli - Nuttall's Blister Beetle

Classification · Size · Identification · Range · Food · Life Cycle · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Nuttall's Blister Beetle - Lytta nuttalli

Beetle in the Black Hills - Lytta nuttalli

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles)

Superfamily Tenebrionoidea (Fungus, Bark, Darkling and Blister Beetles)

Family Meloidae (Blister Beetles)

Subfamily Meloinae

Genus Lytta

Species nuttalli (Nuttall's Blister Beetle)

Size

16-28 mm

Identification

Large, metallic green with purplish sheen--margins and sometimes most of elytra are violet.

Range

Western Great Plains and Rocky Mountain region: prairie Provinces of Canada, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico.

Food

Adults feed on legumes, other forbs.

Life Cycle

Larvae feed on eggs of grasshoppers.

Print References

Arnett et al, p. 285, fig. 669 (1)

White, plate 6 (2)

Papp, p. 103, fig. 322 (3)

Internet References

Insect Pests of the Pacific Northwest

Works Cited

1.	How to Know the Beetles By Ross H. Arnett, N. M. Downie, H. E. Jaques

2.	Peterson Field Guides: Beetles By Richard E. White

3.	Introduction to North American Beetles By Charles S. Papp

Contributed by Chris Wirth on 18 October, 2005 - 10:33pm
Additional contributions by cotinis
Last updated 19 October, 2005 - 8:57am

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