Meloe violaceus
Encyclopedia
Meloe violaceus, the violet oil beetle, is a species of oil beetle belonging to the family Meloidae subfamily Meloinae.
These beetles are present in most of Europe
, in East Palearctic ecozone, in the Near East
and in North Africa
.
This species is characterized by hypermetamorphosis
, a kind of complete insect metamorphosis in which, in addition to the normal stages of larva, nymph and imago, they have several others, with great differences in appearance and way of life.
The body of Meloe violaceus is 10–30 mm (0.393700787401575–1.2 ) long, females are somewhat larger than the males. These beetle are black-blue or violet-blue, head and pronotum are very finely dotted and the elytra are quite shorter than the abdomen, as in other Meloinae species.
The adults live on a sunny, dry area with flowering plants, feeding on pollen.
In May–June the female digs into the soil 20–30 mm (0.78740157480315–1.2 ) deep cylindrical holes, where they lay a very large quantity of eggs (about 2,000–10,000).
After about a month larvae emerge from eggs and climb up on grass or on flowers, waiting to cling to the thorax of approaching potential host insects seeking pollen or nectar.
The larvae have an exclusively parasitic life, primarily in the nests of solitary bees, or sometimes of locusts. If the larvae have inadvertently selected a honey bee, they die in the hive and may cause serious damage.
When the host female bee lays eggs in its cells, the first-stage larva of the violet oil beetle eats the eggs of the bee, increases in volume and becomes the second-stage larva, which continues its development eating honey and pollen. The larva, after other two stages, forms the nymph and finally the imago.
These beetles are present in most of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, in East Palearctic ecozone, in the Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
and in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
.
This species is characterized by hypermetamorphosis
Hypermetamorphosis
Hypermetamorphosis is a kind of complete insect metamorphosis in which the different larval instars represent two or more different forms of larva. As the larva molts its morphology can change from that of a campodeiform to scarabaeiform or to vermiform...
, a kind of complete insect metamorphosis in which, in addition to the normal stages of larva, nymph and imago, they have several others, with great differences in appearance and way of life.
The body of Meloe violaceus is 10–30 mm (0.393700787401575–1.2 ) long, females are somewhat larger than the males. These beetle are black-blue or violet-blue, head and pronotum are very finely dotted and the elytra are quite shorter than the abdomen, as in other Meloinae species.
The adults live on a sunny, dry area with flowering plants, feeding on pollen.
In May–June the female digs into the soil 20–30 mm (0.78740157480315–1.2 ) deep cylindrical holes, where they lay a very large quantity of eggs (about 2,000–10,000).
After about a month larvae emerge from eggs and climb up on grass or on flowers, waiting to cling to the thorax of approaching potential host insects seeking pollen or nectar.
The larvae have an exclusively parasitic life, primarily in the nests of solitary bees, or sometimes of locusts. If the larvae have inadvertently selected a honey bee, they die in the hive and may cause serious damage.
When the host female bee lays eggs in its cells, the first-stage larva of the violet oil beetle eats the eggs of the bee, increases in volume and becomes the second-stage larva, which continues its development eating honey and pollen. The larva, after other two stages, forms the nymph and finally the imago.