Spanish-fly

Guides

• Lytta

  blister beetles

  Lytta is a genus of blister beetles in the family Meloidae, established by Fabricius in 1775. The genus comprises approximately 70 described species in North America and over 100 species worldwide, making it one of the more diverse genera in its tribe. Species are distributed across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Members are known for producing cantharidin, a defensive compound that causes blistering upon contact with skin.

  blister-beetlescantharidinSpanish-flyMeloidaedefensive-chemistryagricultural-pestreflex-bleedingchemosensory-genestriungulin-larvaebee-parasitismlocust-egg-predation