CANTHARIS VESICATORIA. 



THE SECONDARY CHARACTERS. 



CANTHARIS. Head large, heart-shaped, not produced into 

 a rostrum. Thorax small, rather quadrate, narrower than the 

 elytra, which are as long as the abdomen, soft, linear, the 

 apex slightly gaping. Maxilla with two membranous lacinice, 

 the external one acute, within subuncinate. Maxillary palpi 

 with terminal joint somewhat ovate, larger at tip. Wings 

 two, ample, perfect. 



THE SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 



CANTHARIS VESICATORIA. Head large, subcordate with a 

 longitudinal furrow along its top. Eyes lateral, dark brown. 

 Thorax not larger than the head, narrowed at the base. Ely- 

 tra from four to six lines long, and from three fourths to one 

 and a half lines broad. Costa slightly margined. Wings 

 ample, thin, membranous, veined, transparent, pale brown. 

 Tips folded. Legs stout, from four to six lines long, the 

 hinder ones longest. Tibia clavate, in the female all termi- 

 nated by two small movable spurs ; in the male the two hinder 

 pairs of extremities alone have this arrangement, the anterior 

 ones having but one spur. Last joint of the tarsi with a pair 

 of bifid claws. Abdomen soft, broadest in the female. In the 

 female, near the anus, are two articulated, caudal appendages. 

 Form elongated, almost cylindrical. Length six to eleven 

 lines. Breadth one to two lines. Color brass or copper green. 

 Odor nauseous, unpleasant. Body covered with whitish-gray 

 hairs, which are most numerous on the thorax. 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



HIPPOCRATES employed in medicine an insect which he 

 calls KavBapisj whose effects were similar to those of Cantharis 

 vesicatoria. Hence it has been erroneously inferred that the 

 blister beetle is identical with that employed by the ancients. 

 That this inference is incorrect is apparent. Many beetles 

 agree in their effects on the system with those of Cantharis 

 vesicatoria. The Greek word merely signifies a small beetle, 

 scarabceus parvus. Both Dioscorides and Pliny refer to sev- 

 eral kinds of Cantharides, but remark that the most powerful 

 are those with transverse yellow bands on the wings, and 

 that those which are homogeneous in color are weak and inert. 



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