Meloe

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Orthokaryota
Cladus: Neokaryota
Cladus: Scotokaryota
Cladus: Podiata
Cladus: Amorphea
Cladus: Obazoa
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Cladus: Filozoa
Cladus: Choanozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: ParaHoxozoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Cladus: Mandibulata
Cladus: Pancrustacea
Cladus: Allotriocarida
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Holometabola
Superordo: Coleopterida
Ordo: Coleoptera
Subordo: Polyphaga
Infraordo: Cucujiformia
Superfamilia: Tenebrionoidea

Familia: Meloidae
Subfamilia: Meloinae
Tribus: Meloini
Genus: Meloe
Subgenera: M. (Coelomeloe) – M. (Eurymeloe) – – M. (Lasiomeloe) – M. (Listromeloe) – M. (Meloe) – M. (Meloegonius) – M. (Mesomeloe) – M. (Micromeloe) – M. (Taphromeloe) – M. (Treiodous)M. (Lampromeloe)
Species overview (Palearctic)

M. aegypytius – M. aeneus – M. affinis – M. afghanistanicus – M. alashana – M. algiricus – M. apenninicus – M. apivorus – M. aprilina – M. aruanachalae – M. asperatus – M. auriculatus – M. austrinus – M. autumnalis – M. babatagicus – M. baudii – M. baudueri – M. bellus – M. bilineatus – M. bodemeyeri – M. brevicollis – M. bytinskii – M. cavensis – M. cavicornis – M. centripubens – M. cicatricosus – M. cinereovariegatus – M. cinereus – M. coarctatus – M. coelatus – M. conradti – M. corrosus – M. corvinus – M. crosi – M. curticollis – M. curticornis – M. decorus – M. elegantulus – M. erythrocnemus – M. escherichi – M. fascicularis – M. fernandezi – M. flavicomus – M. formosensis – M. foveolatus – M. frontalis – M. gaberti – M. ganglbaueri – M. glazunovi – M. gracilior – M. griseopuberulus – M. heptapotamicus – M. heydeni – M. himalaycus – M. hungarus – M. intermedius – M. kabuliensis – M. kandaharicus – M. laevipennis – M. lederi – M. lefevrei – M. lobatus – M. lobicollis – M. longipennis – M. lopatini – M. luctuosus – M. mandli – M. mandzhuricus – M. marginatus – M. marianii – M. mathiesseni – M. mediterraneus – M. medogensis – M. menoko – M. mistaniensis – M. modestus – M. murinus – M. nanus – M. nigropilosellus – M. olivieri – M. omanicus – M. otini – M. ovalicollis – M. ovilis – M. pallidicolor – M. patellicornis – M. poteli – M. primaeveris – M. primulus – M. prolifericornis – M. proscarabaeus – M. pubifer – M. punctatoradius – M. pusio – M. rathjensi – M. reitteri – M. rufipes – M. rufiventris – M. rugosus – M. rugulosus – M. saharensis – M. sanaanus – M. sapporensis – M. scabriusculus – M. schatzmayri – M. schmidi – M. scutellatus – M. semenowi – M. semicoriaceus – M. sericeorugosus – M. servulus – M. simillimus – M. simplicicornis – M. simulans – M. subcordicollis – M. subcyaneus – M. subsetosus – M. sulciceps – M. sulcicollis – M. tadzikistanicus – M. tarsalis – M. tenuipes – M. terentjevi – M. transversicollis – M. trapeziderus – M. tuccius – M. turkestanicus – M. uralensis – M. variegatus - M. viennensis - M. violaceus – M. vlasovi – M. xanthomelas – M. zolotarevi

Name

Meloe Linnaeus, 1758

Type species: Meloe proscarabaeus

References
Primary references

Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis, Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Holmiæ: impensis direct. Laurentii Salvii. i–ii, 1–824 pp DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.542: 419. Open access Reference page.

Links

Meloe Taxon details on Fauna Europaea
Atlas of Meloidae of Russia
ZooBank: 8ED11C76-0D67-4631-8CAC-818B81FFE722

Vernacular names
русский: Майка

Meloe is a genus of blister beetles commonly referred to as oil beetles.[1] The name derives from their defensive strategy: when threatened they release oily droplets of hemolymph from their joints (legs, neck, and antennae). This fluid is bright orange and contains cantharidin, a poisonous chemical compound. Wiping the chemical on skin can cause blistering and painful swelling of the skin. This defensive strategy is not exclusive to this genus; all meloids possess and exude cantharidin upon threat.
Morphology
Oil beetle adult
Oil beetle adult dorsal view

Members of this genus typically have shortened elytra and lack functional wings. They are often iridescent blue, green, or black with pits/punctures on the elytra and thorax, and a bloated abdomen. Some species of males have kinks in their antennae, which are shaped differently for different species.
Biology

As with all other members of Meloidae, the larval cycle is hypermetamorphic; the larva goes through several body types, the first of which is typically a mobile triungulin that finds and attaches to a host in order to gain access to the host's offspring. They usually climb onto a flower head, and await a bee there. They will then attach themselves to the bee. If it is a male, they wait for mating with a female. They will switch to the female when this takes place. If the bee is a female, however, she will take them back to her nest unwittingly. Once in the nest, the larvae morphs into a grub-like "couch potato" and feeds upon all of the provisions and the larva. Next, they form a pupa and emerge in various seasons depending on the species. Each species of Meloe may attack only a single species or genus of bees. Some are generalists. Though sometimes considered parasitoids, it appears that in general, the Meloe larva consumes the bee larva along with its provisions, and can often survive on the provisions alone; thus they do not truly qualify for this designation (see Parasitoid for definition).

Upon surfacing from their underground lives as larvae, the adults feed on plants in the Ranunculaceae, Convolvulaceae, and Solanaceae families.

Mating begins when a male mounts a female and releases chemical components through the kinks on the antennae, massaging her antennae and pulling them back. This serves to calm the female. Mating then occurs, with the male transferring his cantharidin to the female during this period and she coats her eggs with it. [2]
Species

The following species are recognised in the genus Meloe:[3][4]

Meloe aegyptius Brandt & Erichson, 1832
Meloe aeneus Tauscher, 1812
Meloe afer Bland, 1864
Meloe affinis Lucas, 1849
Meloe ajax Pinto, 1998
Meloe aleuticus (Borchmann, 1942)
Meloe algiricus Linnæus, 1758
Meloe americanus Leach, 1815
Meloe angusticollis Say, 1824 – short-winged blister beetle
Meloe apenninicus Bologna, 1988
Meloe auriculatus
Meloe austrinus Wollaston, 1854
Meloe autumnalis Olivier, 1792
Meloe baamarani Ruiz & García-París, 2015
Meloe balteata Pallas, 1782
Meloe barbarus LeConte, 1861
Meloe baudii Leoni, 1907
Meloe bicolor Thunberg, 1791
Meloe bitoricollis Pinto & Selander, 1970
Meloe brevicollis Panzer, 1793 – short-necked oil beetle
Meloe californicus Van Dyke, 1928
Meloe campanicollis Pinto & Selander, 1970
Meloe cantharoides Thunberg, 1791
Meloe carbonaceus LeConte, 1866
Meloe cavensis Petagna, 1819
Meloe chiliensis Guérin, 1831
Meloe chinensis Pan & Bologna, 2021
Meloe cicatricosus Leach, 1815
Meloe cinnabarina Scopoli, 1763
Meloe coarctatus
Meloe coecus Thunberg, 1791
Meloe coelatus Reiche, 1857
Meloe corvinus
Meloe decemguttatus Thunberg, 1791
Meloe decorus Brandt & Erichson, 1832
Meloe dianella Pinto & Selander, 1970
Meloe distincticornis Pan & Bologna, 2021
Meloe dominicanus Poinar, 2009
Meloe dugesi Champion, 1891
Meloe erythrocnemus Pallas, 1782
Meloe exiguus Pinto & Selander, 1970
Meloe fenestrata Pallas, 1773
Meloe fernandezi Pardo Alcaide, 1951
Meloe flavicomus Wollaston, 1854
Meloe formosensis Miwa, 1930
Meloe foveolatus Guerin de Meneville, 1842
Meloe franciscanus Van Dyke, 1928
Meloe glazunovi Plignskij, 1910
Meloe gomari
Meloe gracilicornis Champion, 1891
Meloe himalayensis Pan & Bologna, 2021
Meloe hirsutus Thunberg, 1791
Meloe hungarus Schrank, 1776
Meloe ibericus
Meloe impressus Kirby, 1837
Meloe kashmirensis Pan & Bologna, 2021
Meloe kaszabi Pan & Bologna, 2021
Meloe laevis Leach, 1815 – oil beetle
Meloe lateantennatus Pan & Bologna, 2021
Meloe luctuosus Brandt & Erichson, 1832
Meloe lunata Pallas, 1782
Meloe mediterraneus Müller, 1925 - mediterranean oil beetle
Meloe menoko
Meloe nanus Lucas, 1849
Meloe nebulosus Champion, 1891
Meloe niger Kirby, 1837
Meloe occultus Pinto & Selander, 1970
Meloe ocellata Pallas, 1773
Meloe oculatus Thunberg, 1791
Meloe olivieri Chevrolat, 1833
Meloe orientalis Pan & Bologna, 2021
Meloe paropacus Dillon, 1952
Meloe podalirii Heer, 1847
Meloe poggii Pan & Bologna, 2021
Meloe proscarabaeus Linnaeus, 1758 - black oil beetle
Meloe quadricollis Van Dyke, 1928
Meloe reitteri Escherich, 1889
Meloe rufiventris Germar, 1832
Meloe rugosus Marsham, 1802 - rugged oil beetle
Meloe sarmaticus Shapovalov, 2012
Meloe semenowi Jakovlev, 1897,2017
Meloe shapovalovi Pan & Bologna, 2021
Meloe sibirica Pallas, 1773
Meloe spec Linnæus, 1758
Meloe strigulosus Mannerheim, 1852
Meloe trifascis Pallas, 1773
Meloe tripunctatus Thunberg, 1791
Meloe tropicus Motschulsky, 1856
Meloe tuccius Rossi, 1792
Meloe uralensis Pallas, 1777
Meloe ursus Thunberg, 1791
Meloe vandykei Pinto & Selander, 1970
Meloe variegatus Donovan, 1793
Meloe violaceus Marsham, 1802 - violet oil beetle
Meloe xuhaoi Pan & Bologna, 2021
Meloë fasciatus Houttuyn
Meloë flammeus Houttuyn

References

Oil Beetles (Meloe), BugGuide
Pinto, J.D., Selander, R.B. The bionmics of blister beetles in the genus Meloe and a classification of the New World species. Illinois Biological Monographs. 1970.
"Meloe Linnaeus, 1758". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
Pan, Zhao; Bologna, M.A. (7 July 2021). "Morphological revision of the Palaearctic species of the nominate subgenus Meloe Linnaeus, 1758 (Coleoptera, Meloidae), with description of ten new species". Zootaxa. 5007 (1): 1–74. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5007.1.1. PMID 34810573 – via Mapress.