Black Oil Beetle Meloe proscarabaeus

The Black Oil Beetle, Meloe proscarabaeus, is a striking and charismatic beetle belonging to the family Meloidae, and one of several oil beetle species found in Britain. Adults are large and unmistakable – females in particular can be impressive in size, with a swollen, abbreviated abdomen that extends well beyond the short, overlapping elytra – and are a deep, iridescent blue-black in colour. The common name refers to the oily, toxic haemolymph that the beetle exudes from its leg joints when disturbed, a defence mechanism known as reflexive bleeding. The species has a fascinating and complex life cycle, with larvae parasitising the nests of solitary bees in order to complete their development. Once widespread across southern Britain, M. proscarabaeus has declined significantly and is now a priority species for conservation, most reliably encountered on unimproved grassland, coastal clifftops, and heathland during early spring. Image: © Paul Kitchener, Flickr.

Find out more: iNaturalist, UK Beetle recording, Buglife – Oil Beetles