THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
101 
Augn9t 5,1871.] 
VESICATING INSECTS. 
BY ar. C. COOKE, M.A. 
Ill order to enumerate and give some brief par¬ 
ticulars of all tlie known vesicating insects that are 
or have been employed in medicine, it will be well to 
divide them into three groups, i. e. the Mylabridae, 
the Cantharidre, and the Meloeidse. There will then 
remain only a miscellaneous few which cannot be 
included in any of the three groups, containing such 
insects as are known to have been employed as sub¬ 
stitutes or adulterations. This classification is con¬ 
formable to that adopted by entomologists, and will 
not therefore be open to the objection which may 
sometimes be urged against artificial arrangements 
for economic purposes. 
Section I. Mylabridae. 
The number of species included by Gemminger 
and Hcrold (‘ Catalogus ColeopterorunT) in the genus 
Mylabris is formidable, as compared with those de¬ 
scribed by Billberg in his monograph, published in 
1813. Only a small proportion of these have any 
reputation as vesicants, but it is very probable that 
the majority of them are more or less possessed of 
vesicatory properties. It is to be regretted that an 
elaborate monograph by Marseul, read before the 
Entomological Society of France twelve months 
since, has not been published, but there have probably 
been excellent reasons why it has not appeared. 
W ar is no friend to science. 
Chicory Mylabris oi'Telini Fly, Mylabris cichorei, 
Fabr.; villous, black; el} r tra black, with two spots, 
and two ochraceous bands.—Fabr. S. El. ii. p. 81 ; 
Oliv. 47, p. 7. t. 1. f. 1; Meloe cichorei , Linn. Syst.p. 
(180; Panz. Ins. 31. t. 18; Stepli. Med. Zool. t. 20. 
f. 5 ; Billb. Mon. t. 1. f. 8, 9; De Geer’s Insecta, iv. 
t. 13. f. 2 ; Pallas, Ins. Ross, t. E. f. 7 ; Moq.-Tand. 
Med. Zool. f. 32 ; Brandt and Ratzb. ii. t. 18. f. 17. 
This species is the best known, and, according to 
Moquin-Tandon, is employed in Italy, Greece, Egypt, 
etc., as far as China. It is found 
in several of the warm parts of 
Europe, as well as in Asia, and 
resides on the flowers of the wild 
chicory, and other composite 
plants in Europe, and various 
plants in Asia. Attention was 
directed to this insect, as a native 
of India by Captain Hardwicke, 
in 1799. The following is his 
detailed description: * Antennae 
moniliform, short, consisting of eleven articulations, 
increasing in size from the second to the apex ; the 
first nearly as long as the last; each a little thicker 
upwards than at the base, and truncated, or as if cut 
off, the last excepted, which is egg-form. Palpi 4, 
inequalled, clubbed, the posterior pair of three, and 
the anterior of two articulations. Maxillae or jaws 
four, the exterior horny, slightly curved inwards, 3- 
toothed, the two inferior teeth very small; the ex¬ 
terior pair compressed and brush-like. Head gib¬ 
bous ; eyes prominent, large, reticulated ; labium or 
upper lip hard, emarginated. Thorax convex above, 
broader towards the abdomen, and encompassed by 
a narrow marginal line. Elytra crustaceous, the 
length of the abdomen, except hi flies pregnant with 
eggs, when they are shorter by one ring; convex 
Fig. 1. 
* ‘Asiatic Researches,’ vol. v. 1799, pp. 213-215. 
Third Series, No. 58. 
above, concave beneath; yellow, with three trans¬ 
verse, black, irregular undulated bands, the one at 
the apex broadest, and that at the base dividing the 
yellow longitudinally into two spots; porcated or 
ridged; the ridges longitudinal and parallel to the 
suture; in number, three equal, one unequal, the 
ridges not very prominent. Alae or wings membra¬ 
neous, a little exceeding the elytra in length, and the 
ends folded under. The tarsi of the two first pairs of 
feet consists of five articulations ; and of the posterior 
pah- four only. Every part of the insect excepting 
the wings and elytra is black, oily to the touch, and 
covered more or less with dense hairs; a few scat¬ 
tered hairs are also evident on the elytra. All the 
crustaceous parts of the insect are pitted minutely. 
It is about the bigness of the Meloe proscarabmis of 
Linn., and a full-grown one, when dry and fit for 
use, is to the vesicatorius in weight as four and a 
half to one. 
“ They come into season with the periodical rains, 
and are found from the month of July to the end of 
October, feeding on the flowers of Cucurbitaceous 
plants, but more frequently on the species of Cucumis 
called by the natives “ Turiey,” with a cylindrical 
smooth, 10-angled fruit. Also on the “ Eaam-turiey,” 
or Hibiscus esculentus, Hibiscus Bosa-sincnsis ; and 
in jungles where these plants are not to be found, 
they are to be met with on two or more species of 
Sicla, which flourish in that season. In the failure 
of flowers, they will feed on the leaves of all these 
plants, except the “ Turiey,” which I have not ob¬ 
served them eat. They are great devourers, and will 
feed as freely in confinement as at large. In Sep¬ 
tember they are full of eggs, which seems to be the 
best state in which they can be taken for medical 
use, at that tune abounding more abundantly in an 
acrid yellow oil, in which, probably, resides their 
most active property. This fluid seems the animal’s 
means of rendering itself obnoxious to others; for, 
on the moment of applying the hand to seize it, it 
ejects a large globule from the knee-joint of every 
leg, and this, if suffered to dry on the fingers, soon 
produces an uncommon tingling in the part, and 
sometimes a blister. This is the only inconvenience 
attending the catching of them, for they make no 
resistance; on the contrary, they draw in the head 
towards the breast as soon as touched, and endea¬ 
vour to throw themselves oft’ the plant they are found 
on. The female produces about 150 eggs, a little 
smaller than a caraway seed, white and oblong-oval. 
Their flight from plant to plant is slow, heavy, and 
with a loud humming noise, the body hanging almost 
perpendicularly to the wings. They vary in the 
colour of the elytra, from an orange-red to a bright 
yellow; but I do not find this variety constitutes any 
difference in sex. The natives of tins part of the 
country know the insects by the name of “ Tel-eene,” 
expressive of its oily nature. It is stated by Captain 
Hardwicke to be found in all parts of Bengal, Beliar 
and Oude. 
In India this insect is known as the Telini fly, and 
the following synonyms have been traced by Mr. 
Moodeen Sheriff,—Zararihul-hind, or Zararilie-hindi 
of the Arabs; Dabane-liindi of the Persians ; Telni, 
or Telni-makklii of the Hindus; Bad-bo-ki-zirangi, 
or Zirangi of the Deccan; Pinsttarini of the Tamuls ; 
and Blislitering-igelu of the Telugus. Those names 
are probably applied to other species as well as the 
present, employed for like purposes. 
There is an apparent discrepancy between the 
