Master blister beetle

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

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

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

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