Short-Winged Blister Beetle vs Sulphur Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Short-Winged Blister Beetle Sulphur Beetle
Scientific Name Meloe violaceus Cteniopus sulphureus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Meloidae Tenebrionidae
Size 15-32 mm 7-10mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Beaches & Coastal
Diet Herbivores Pollen Feeders
Regions Europe Europe
Conservation Near Threatened Least Concern

Short-Winged Blister Beetle

A blue-violet oil beetle found across Europe, often seen walking on paths and open ground in spring. Like other oil beetles, it oozes cantharidin-laced fluid from its joints when threatened.

💡

Did You Know?

A single female can lay over 4,000 eggs in a season, but fewer than one percent of larvae survive to adulthood.

Sulphur Beetle

A bright sulphur-yellow beetle that looks more like a flower beetle than a typical darkling beetle. It is common on coastal flowers in summer.

💡

Did You Know?

Despite belonging to the typically dark darkling beetle family it is one of the few members that is brightly colored.