Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
BugGuide Gathering
Smoky Mountains
University of Tennessee Biological Field Station
August 8-10, 2008
Details...
 
Photos from the last gathering (Minnesota 2007)

TaxonomyBrowse
Info
ImagesLinksBooksData
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) » Epicauta

Genus Epicauta

Classification · Numbers · Size · Identification · Remarks · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Blister Beetle Epicauta species - Epicauta Blister Beetle - Epicauta Epicauta? - Epicauta Black Blister Beetle? - Epicauta pennsylvanica - male - female Epicauta caviceps Blister Beetle ID - Epicauta Is this a beetle, or something else? - Epicauta pestifera On Mesquite - Epicauta
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)
Genus Epicauta
Numbers
nearctica.com lists 106 North American species. Arnett (1) lists 111.
Size
body length 4-18 mm
Identification
Similar to Lytta, but this genus has a patch of hair on underside of front femur (2). Also, Epicauta has nearly thread-like antennae (3):

while Lytta has almost bead-like (submoniliform) antennae:
Remarks
This is the largest genus of blister beetles; some species are pests.
See Also
Lytta
Print References
Arnett, American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico (1), p. 473
White, Peterson's Field Guide to Beetles, pages 271-273, plate 6 (2)
Dillon and Dillon, Manual of Common Beetles of Eastern North America (3)
Milne and Milne, National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders, pages 588-589, plates 161 & 167 (4)
Internet References
U. of Florida detailed family account, including life cycle, images of Florida blister beetles, and some species of Epicauta
nearctica.com list of North American species
Works Cited
1.American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
By Ross H. Arnett
2.Peterson Field Guides: Beetles
By Richard E. White
3.A Manual of Common Beetles of Eastern North America
By Dillon, Elizabeth S., and Dillon, Lawrence
4.National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects and Spiders
By Lorus and Margery Milne
Contributed by Tony DiTerlizzi on 18 July, 2004 - 11:50pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Beatriz Moisset, Robin McLeod
Last updated 3 August, 2007 - 3:48pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2008 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by Iowa State University Entomology.

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Site Map
Contact