Indian Blister Beetle vs Pindarus Christmas Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Indian Blister Beetle Pindarus Christmas Beetle
Scientific Name Mylabris pustulata Anoplognathus pindarus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Meloidae Scarabaeidae
Size 15-25 mm 18-22 mm
Habitat Farmland Forests
Diet Pollen Feeders Herbivores
Regions South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh) Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Indian Blister Beetle

A striking beetle with black elytra marked with bright red or orange bands and spots. It produces cantharidin, a powerful blistering agent, and feeds on flowers in agricultural fields during monsoon season.

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Did You Know?

Despite being a flower pest, blister beetle larvae are beneficial because they consume enormous quantities of grasshopper egg pods in the soil.

Pindarus Christmas Beetle

A medium-sized brown Christmas beetle with a distinctly punctured thorax. It is found in coastal and hinterland forests of New South Wales.

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Did You Know?

Like other Christmas beetles, its larvae can spend over a year developing underground before emerging.