THE 
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACY. 
JULY, 1 8 4 4. 
ART. XXI.-ON CANTHARIS VESICATORIA. 
By Robert Coulton Davis. 
Jin Inaugural Essay. 
CANTHARIS, U. S. 
Cantharis vesical or ia. — Class, Insecta; Order, Coleop- 
tera ; Family, Trachelides ; Tribe, Cantharideae. 
Physical Characters of the genus Cantharis. — Tarsi 
entire ; nails bifid ; head cordiform, not produced into a 
rostrum ; thorax narrower than the upper part of the head, 
nearly square, but attenuated in the anterior part ; elytra 
flexible, covering the whole abdomen, linear and cylindri- 
cal ; wings perfect ; maxillae with two membranous lacinse, 
the internal one acute within, subarcuate ; maxillari palpi 
larger at tip ; antennas longer than the head and thorax, 
rectilinear, first joint longest, the second transverse, and 
very short. 
This species has been often miscalledilie/oe, ' but from 
which it is easily distinguished by the form of the head and 
antennae, which in the Cantharis is cordiform, whilst that 
of the preceding is nearly square ; and also by the absolute- 
want of wings, and the linear and semi-cylindrical wing 
cases of the Cantharis. 
The Cantharis vesicatoria, is about two-thirds of an inch 
in length, and one-fourth of an inch in breadth, of oblong 
shape, and of a brilliant green, golden red, or copper colour, 
vol. x. — NO. II. 8 
