top of page

Beetles of Zihuatanejo

ORDER COLEOPTERA

Epicauta punctum
Epicauta punctum

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Beetles (Order Coleoptera​​)

-​Blister Beetles (Family Meloidae)

-Subfamily Meloinae

-Tribe Epicautini

-Burning Blister Beetles (Genus Epicauta) -Epicauta punctum


The Epicauta genus, commonly known as burning blister beetles, includes a variety of beetles in the family Meloidae. Known for their defensive chemical secretion, these beetles can cause blistering upon contact with skin. Adult Epicauta beetles feed on various plants, particularly flowers, leaves, and stems of legumes and other crops, which can make them agricultural pests. The larvae of Epicauta species are parasitoids, feeding on grasshopper eggs in the soil.

Diet

  • Adults: Primarily herbivorous, feeding on leaves, flowers, buds and other above-ground plant tissues. The specific host plants of E. punctum are not well documented.

  • Larvae: The first larval stage is adapted for locating grasshopper egg pods. Later larval stages consume the grasshopper eggs, giving Epicauta its characteristic hypermetamorphic life cycle.

Range

  • Epicauta punctum is a Mexican species, associated with central and southern Mexico.

Habitat

  • Likely associated with seasonally dry woodland, tropical deciduous vegetation, scrub, grassland, agricultural areas and other habitats supporting abundant herbaceous plants.

  • Adults feed above ground on vegetation, while the immature stages occur in soil containing grasshopper egg pods.

  • More detailed habitat information specific to E. punctum is limited.

Size

  • Adult length: approximately 10–20 mm (0.4–0.8 in), although reliable species-specific measurements are limited.

  • Body elongate and relatively soft, with narrow elytra, long legs and thread-like antennae typical of Epicauta.

bottom of page