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Project Noah Nature School
Meloe sp.
Oil beetle feasting on Jack in the Pulpit fruit. I think this is either Meloe americanus or Meloe impressus, but am not sure.
On a Jack in the Pulpit plant in a mixed forest.
From Wikipedia: "They are known as "oil beetles" because they release oily droplets of hemolymph from their joints when disturbed; this contains cantharidin, a poisonous chemical causing blistering of the skin and painful swelling. Members of this genus are typically flightless, without functional wings, and shortened elytra."
Spotted on Sep 22, 2016
Submitted on Jan 5, 2017
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