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 Identification Scientific Name: Lytta vesicatoria Common Names: Spanish fly, blister beetle, blistering fly, cantharid, Cantharis vesicatoria Classification Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptera Family: Meloidae (meloids or chafers) Genus: Lytta Species: vesicatoria |
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Habitat
The spanish fly, or Lytta vesicatoria occurs not only in Spain but throughout southern Europe and eastward all the way to Siberia. Other species of meloids, including the Old-Fashioned Potato Beetle, or Epicauta vittara, also called the striped blister beetle, occur in North America as well as Europe.
Profile
Spanish fly is a strange nickname for the Lytta vesicatoria because it is not a fly, but a beetle.
Adults feed mainly on ash, lilac, amur privet and white willow trees. Some American species are pests, devastating potato, tomato, beet and clover crops. The larvae, on the other hand, are considered beneficial because they feed on grasshopper eggs. Others, however, prefer the eggs and larvae of bees.
When disturbed, the spanish fly and its relatives in the family Meloidae release an irritating substance called cantharidin at the joints between their leg segments. Reptiles, amphibians and numerous predacious insects that have had a taste of it steer clear of this " irritating " beetle.
Apart from its defensive function, cantharidin doubtless plays another role; synthesized by the male spermatheca, during mating the male would release the substance on the female as an aphrodisiac.
Cantharidin is a highly toxic substance, even in small doses. Taken internally, it can cause acute gastroenteritis and nephritis. A dose of only 30 mg can prove fatal.
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