Master blister beetle

Natural Habitat

Arid regions and deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico

Diet & Feeding

Adults feed on flowers and foliage of various desert plants; larvae are subterranean and eat the eggs of grasshoppers.

Behavior Patterns

Often seen in large aggregations during the spring. They undergo complete metamorphosis, with specialized larval stages called triungulins that search for grasshopper egg pods.

Risks & Benefits

Produces cantharidin, a toxic chemical that can cause severe skin blisters if handled. They are beneficial for population control of grasshoppers.

Identified on: 4/9/2026