26S      ON  CANTHARIDES  OF  THE  ARGENTINE  PROVINCES. 
NOTES   ON    THE    CANTHARIDES   OF  THE  ARGENTINE 
PROVINCES  * 
By  Dr.  Hermann  Burmeister. 
The  remarks  of  Don  Camilo  Giovanelli  on  the  cantharides  of 
this  country,  in  the  "  Revista  Farmace'utica,"  vol.  iv.  no.  3,  p. 
71,  induce  me  to  send  you  a  more  detailed  notice  of  these  in- 
sects, so  useful  in  medicine,  and  so  abundant  on  our  soil,  as  also 
in  all  other  warm  countries. 
Cantharides  belong  to  a  family  of  Coleoptera  Heteromera,  i.  e., 
of  that  section  of  Coleoptera  which  have  five  joints  in  the  four 
fore  feet,  and  only  four  in  the  hind  feet ;  and  this  family  is 
easily  distinguished  from  others  of  the  same  section  by  its  soft 
body,  less  horny  on  the  surface  ;  as  also  by  the  form  of  the  hind 
part  of  the  head,  and  the  cloven  claws. 
The  celebrated  Latreille,  the  first  entomologist  of  his  time, 
has  called  the  family  of  cantharides  "  Vesiciftca"  alluding  to 
the  caustic  property  possessed  by  many  (although  not  by  all)  of 
the  species.  This  property  seems  to  reside,  not  in  the  fluids, 
but  in  the  solids  of  the  body,  and  chiefly  in  the  horny  covering ; 
and  it  is  stronger  in  proportion  as  that  covering  is  rougher  and 
more  metallic.  On  this  account,  the  European  cantharis  is 
probably  one  of  the  most  efficacious,  for  it  is  one  of  the  most 
resplendent,  in  its  golden-green  metallic  lustre. f 
The  family  of  the  Vesicifica  is  divided  into  two  principal 
sections,  viz.,  Meloides  and  Cantharides.  The  former  have  no 
wings,  and  the  elytra  are  usually  short ;  but  the  latter  have 
longer  elytra,  and  are  furnished  with  wings. 
Amongst  the  Meloides  there  is  one  species,  Meloe  Proscara- 
Iceus.  which  was  at  one  time  considered  an  antidote  to  hydro- 
phobia. We  have  in  this  country  only  a  single  species  of  this 
section,  viz,,  Meloe  miniaceo-maculdtus,  figured  in  D'Orbigny's 
"Voyage  to  South  America,"  (Insect  tab.  15,  fig.  6).  I  have 
found  this  insect  (which  is  easily  recognized  by  the  red  spots  on 
its  small  elytra)  a  few  times  in  the  interior  of  the  province  of 
Buenos  Ayres.    Another  species,  the  Meloe  Klugii,  described 
*  u  Revista  Farmaeeutica  "  of  Buenos  Ayres,  January,  1865. 
t  It  may  be  observed,  however,  that  Mylabris  Cichorii,  Fabr.,  which  is 
devoid  of  metallic  brilliancy,  has  vesicating  powers  quite  equal  to  those 
of  the  common  cantharis. — Ed.  Ph.  J. 
I 
