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Ashgray Blister Beetle

Epicauta fabricii

Description:

Pretty sure it's E. fabricii, though if not, it certainly looks like a blister beetle in the same genus. Found late summer along the Konza Prairie Nature Trail outside of Manhattan, Kansas.

Notes:

For anyone who doesn't know, you should NOT handle blister beetles with your bare hands; when agitated, they secrete a fluid from their joints which will irritate your skin and raise blisters (hence the name). They're also a pretty significant threat to livestock in agriculture-heavy states like Kansas; the fluid they secrete is toxic to most livestock, and these beetles have an affinity for alfalfa, which is harvested and fed to livestock animals.

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HenryTM82
Spotted by
HenryTM82

Kansas, USA

Spotted on Sep 13, 2013
Submitted on Mar 12, 2014

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