-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)

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.