meloid

English

Noun

meloid (plural meloids)

1. (zoology) Any beetle of the taxonomic family Meloidae; a blister beetle.
   • 1981, Murry Blum, Chemical Defenses of Arthropods, page 20:

     Cantharidin is sometimes referred to as Spanish fly because of its derivation from adults of the large meloid Lytta vesicatoria that is commonly found in Spain; it is a potent vesicant with a putative function as an aphrodisiac.

   • 2002, Frank N. Young, Jr., Gene Kritsky, A Survey of Entomology, page 200:

     Meloids are herbivorous as adults, and their larvae are parasites of bees or eat grasshopper eggs.

   • 2005, Thomas Eisner, Maria Eisner, Melody V. S. Siegler, Secrets Weapons: Defenses of Insects, Spiders, Scorpions, and Others Many-Legged Creatures, page 221:

     Cantharidin is also a potent blistering agent. […] Individual meloids may contain as much as 17 milligrams of cantharidin, or 10% of live weight.

   • 2009, "Coleoptera", entry in Vincent H. Resh, Ring T. Cardé (editors), Encyclopedia of Insects, page 198,

     Although meloids are known to produce cantharidin, transfer of this compound during meloid mating has not been documented.

Translations

beetle of the family Meloidae

• Italian: meloide m

See also

• Blister beetle on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• doilem, dolime, moiled