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Tegrodera erosa erosa
Iron Cross Beetle
Tegrodera erosa erosa is a blister beetle (family Meloidae) endemic to southwestern North America. This large, colorful beetle occurs in dry valleys and hills of cismontane southern California and south into Baja California. Adults are active primarily in late spring and early summer, often forming immense feeding and mating aggregations. The subspecies is distinguished from the nominate form T. erosa inornata by its patterned elytra. Like other meloids, it contains cantharidin in its hemolymph, a compound toxic to mammals. The species is undergoing habitat retrenchment in southern California due to urban development.