Black Oil Beetle

Meloe proscarabaeus
Blister beetles (Meloidae)

♀

Black Oil Beetleon RikenMon's Nature.Guide

CC-BY-SA 4.0 rights : RikenMon

Large black beetle, with remarkably short wing shields and long round back. The head, neck shield and cover plates are dented. ♀ is much larger than ♂, especially when she is about to lay eggs. The probes of the ♂ have a kink halfway, those of the ♀ are straight. 

Nourishes on plants. An oily substance is released in the event of a disruption. 

⇔ l. ♂ 10-12 mm, ♀ 30-35 mm 

The oil beetle puts a lot of eggs on the ground. The larvae hitch with a bee to its nest to eat eggs and nectar there until it pupates, at which time it leaves the bee's nest. 

LA: 
≈ The MELOE VIOLACEUS (Violet oil beetle) is more blue-violet coloured than black and has a shinier shield with much smaller pits.
≈ The MELOE BREVICOLLIS (Short necked oil beetle) has a rounder neck shield, 3 round spots on the back and the pits in its neck and cover shield are less deep. See photo LA.

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