ID Please, its abdomen is HUGE!

[echostatic]

so im in my room on my computer, when my mother and brother start yelling at me to come downstairs. i go to look and find this bug at the base of the stairs. it looks like an ant, but ive never seen an ant with an abdomen this large before.

found in dallas, tx.

 

[ZoSoLp510]

Oil beetle... looks gravid, nice find

 

[echostatic]

oh a blister beetle? yeah... im sorta glad i didnt poke at it.

ive read they eat leaves at the tops of plants and especially nectar from flowers. given the state of the flowering plants outside this time of year, that might not be easy to duplicate. think it could eat honey? id hate to send it outside if i can care for it inside.

 

[Widowman10]

eh, these guys really aren't that bad. i muck with them all the time and never have any probs. maybe someone who has kept them before will come along and help, but you might have a bit of a hard time keeping that guy considering the season. good luck and have fun if you find a good way of keeping it!

 

[echostatic]

well id hate to have him sitting around in a setup thats all wrong for him until someone who knows better comes along, especially considering how warm it is today. i think ill go let him go today before it gets cold again. thanks for the help

 

[Dark Raptor]

Yup. blister beetle (Meloidae), genus Meloe (I can't check where you came from). The most common european species are M. proscarabaeus and M. violaceus.

It has very interesting larvae which are bees parasites.