Indian Blister Beetle vs Round-necked Longhorn

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Indian Blister Beetle Round-necked Longhorn
Scientific Name Mylabris pustulata Neoclytus acuminatus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Meloidae Cerambycidae
Size 15-25 mm 8-18 mm
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Pollen Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh) Eastern North America; invasive in Europe
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.

Round-necked Longhorn

A reddish-brown cerambycid with narrow yellowish crossbands on the elytra, native to eastern North America but now invasive in parts of Europe. It breeds in freshly dead hardwood and is frequently found in stored firewood.

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Did You Know?

This beetle has spread to Europe through the timber trade and is now established in parts of Italy and the Balkans.