CANTHARIS VESICATORIA. 195 



CANTHARIS VESICATORIA 



Common Blister-Fly. 



Pl. XXVI. fig. 2. 



Order Coleoptera, Lin. Latr. Family Cantharidi/e, 



Latr. 



Gen. Char. Elytra soft, elongate, linear, with the sides 

 somewhat inflcxed ; back convex, rounded ; maxilkc 

 with two membranaceous laciniae, the external one 

 acute within, subuncinatc ; antenncc with the first 

 joint larger than the others, the second very short, 

 transverse, the rest obconic, the last ovoid. 



Spec. Char. Body shining golden-green ; antenna; 

 black ; head broad, with a furrow on the top ; thorax 

 quadrate, broader before ; elytra with an impressed 

 line. 



Mcloe vesicatorius ; Lin.Syit. i. p. 679; Panz. Faun. Ins. Germ, fa sc. 41, f. 4. 

 Cantharide Vesicatoire ; Oliv. F.ntom. iii. n.4fi, t. 1, f. a, b,c; De Geer, 

 Mem. s. 1. Ins. v. 1. 1, f. 9. La Cantliavide tie Boutiques ; Geoffr. Hist, des 

 Ins. i. p. 341, t. G, f. 5. Cautharis vesicatoria j Lair. Gen. ii. p. 220. 



Canlharide ; Mouclte (PF.spagne,Fr.; Canterella dei J'csicatorj,!*.; Canlarida, 

 Sp. et Port-; Die Spanische Fliege y Blaskenzeiher, Ger. ; Spanksjiue, Dan.; 

 Spanksjl uga, Swed. ; Spanskaja ?nucha, Kuss.; Kantaryda,Vu\. 



In the system of Latreille the Cantharis is separated from the 

 genus Meloe ; and the insects with filiform antennae shorter than 

 the body, composed of eleven joints, are united into one family 

 styled the Cantharidse. The genus Cantharis contains about 

 twenty well characterised species. Of these, by far the most 

 important and valuable as an article of the materia medica is the 

 C. vesicatoria, or common Blister-fly. Those in general use were 



