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Project Noah Nature School
Meloe sp
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.
temperate forest, on the ground
I spotted a few of these in Foping Nature Reserve even though it was near the end of November and there wasn't much else around.
Thanks Yasser for SOTD and an official complete welcome back! Thanks everyone for the comments. I never anticipated this as SOTD but I'll take it!
Congratulations Dan ! Great spotting and interesting information. Pic #2 is very good !
Wow, incredible photos! You can actually see a drop of oil in photo #2. Congratulations!
Congratulations Dan, this beauty was selected as Spotting of the Day! Your welcome back is now officially complete. :) We're looking forward to seeing more of your wild encounters across Asia!
"Oil Beetles release oily droplets of hemolymph from their joints when disturbed. The hemolymph contains a chemical that causes blistering of the skin and painful swelling."
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Thanks everyone for the comments, Goody for the ID and oxyjack for narrowing down the ID to the genus.
Spotted on Nov 26, 2011
Submitted on Apr 9, 2012
