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Family Oedemeridae - False Blister Beetles

Copidita quadrimaculata Oedemerid - unident - Oxycopis mimetica Oedemerid - Copidita quadrimaculata Beetle on sassafras flowers - Asclera ruficollis Ditylus quadricollis? - Ditylus quadricollis Oxacis cana (LeConte) - Oxacis cana False Blister Beetle - Asclera puncticollis Beetle - Ditylus
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 Oedemeridae (False Blister Beetles)
Other Common Names
Pollen Feeding Beetles
Explanation of Names
Author of family is Latreille, 1810
Greek οιδειν 'swell' + μηροσ 'thigh'(1)
Numbers
~90 spp. in 18 genera north of Mexico, ca. 1500 spp. in 115 genera worldwide(2); 13 spp. in Canada(3)
Overview of our fauna:
Family OEDEMERIDAE
Subfamily Oedemerinae
Size
5-20 mm
Identification
Antennae with 11 long filiform, serrate or clavate antennomeres. Tarsal formula 5-5-4. 5-6, 2 connate ventrites. Elongate, pubescent, often brightly colored. Head not abruptly constricted posteriorly. Prothorax without margins, expanded anteriorly, then narrowed, sides rounded.
Key to Florida spp.(4)
Season
Spring, early summer
Food
Adults take pollen, typically on early spring flowers
Life Cycle
Adults often found on spring flowers, e.g., Asclera. Mating takes place on flowers. Larvae develop in the soil. Like true Blister Beetles, these beetles have toxic chemical defenses, and caution should be exercised in handling them.
See Also
Internet References