Hycleus phaleratus explained

Hycleus phaleratus, is a species of blister beetle found in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.[1] It is sometimes considered a problem in agricultural cultivation but has been used in traditional Chinese medicine.[2] The species was formerly placed in the genus Mylabris.

Description

Body length is about 18 to 25.1 mm. Head with moderately coarse deep and dense punctures. Eyes longer and reniform. Maxillary palpi with triangular apical segment. Pronotum strongly convergent from apical third to apex. Pubescence long, and dense on pronotum. Elytra with moderately coarse, shallow punctures and short pubescence. Basal region consists with two yellowish spots. These spots become rectangular in shape from dorsally and laterally. The median and apicalyellow bands are less undulate. Ventrum moderately and coarsely punctate and shiny. Male has shallowly emarginate sixth visible abdominal sternum, whereas female with entire apex in sixth visible abdominal sternum.[3] Elytral axillary spot convered with black setae. Fore margins of the mesepisterna almost parallel which runs along the median groove. In male, proximal aedeagal hook is closer to the distal one.[4]

In China, the beetle is important commercially in Chinese medicine, due to the ability to biosynthesize potent defensive blistering agent cantharidin.[5] [6] The beetle was traditionally used to treat tumors, carbuncle, scrofula, poor blood circulation, pleurisy, dropsy, pericarditis, and missed menstrual periods.[7] [8] Some side effects of the crude medicine obtained from H, phaleratus can cause abdominal pain and hemorrhagic shock.[9] [10]

Adults and grubs are pests on variety of agricultural crops and ornamentals such as: luffa, cowpea, Canna indica, rose, Gossypium hirsutum, green gram, okra, soy bean, tobacco and paddy.[11]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The National Red List 2012 of Sri Lanka; Conservation Status of the Fauna and Flora . 2021-07-25 . Ministry of Environment in Sri Lanka.
  2. Nakatani, T. . Konishi, T. . Miyahara, K. . Noda, N. . 2004 . Three novel cantharidin-related compounds from the Chinese blister beetle, Mylabris phalerata Pall. . pdf . Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin . 52 . 7 . 807–809 . 10.1248/cpb.52.807 . 15256700 . free.
  3. Web site: The Blister Beetle (Meloidae) of Sri Lanka. . 2021-07-26 . Ceylon Journal of Science (Biological Sciences) 13(1&2):203-251.
  4. Pan . Zhao . Monica . Carosi . Bologna . Marco A. . 2014-12-12 . A new Eastern Asian Hycleus and key to the Chinese species of the phaleratus group (Coleoptera, Meloidae, Mylabrini) . 2021-07-27 . ZooKeys . 463 . 11–19 . en . 10.3897/zookeys.463.8261. 25589860 . 4294299 . free . 2014ZooK..463...11P .
  5. Wu . Yuan-Ming . Li . Jiang . Chen . Xiang-Sheng . 2018-03-01 . Draft genomes of two blister beetles Hycleus cichorii and Hycleus phaleratus . GigaScience . 7 . 3 . 1–7 . en . 10.1093/gigascience/giy006 . 5905561 . 29444297.
  6. Till . Jonathan S. . Majmudar . Bhagirath N. . April 1981 . Cantharidin Poisoning . 2021-07-27 . Southern Medical Journal . 74 . 4 . 444–447 . en . 10.1097/00007611-198104000-00019. 7221663 . 29589945 .
  7. Deng . Yuan-Yuan . Zhang . Wei . Lei . Xue-Ping . Zhang . Dong-Mei . He . Jun . Wang . Lei . Ye . Wen-Cai . 1 August 2017 . Four new cantharidin derivatives from the Chinese blister beetles, Mylabris phalerata . Heterocycles . 94 . 8 . 1573–1581 . 10.3987/COM-17-13722. 2024-02-17 . free .
  8. Zhu . F . Lei . CL . Xue . FS . December 2005 . The morphology and temperature-dependent development of Mylabris phalerata Pallas (Coleoptera: Meloidae) . The Coleopterists Bulletin . 59 . 4 . 521–527 . 10.1649/838.1 . 4010013 . 85904215.
  9. Huh . JE . Kang . KS . Ahn . KS . Kim . DH . Saiki . I . Kim . SH . 12 September 2003 . Mylabris phalerata induces apoptosis by caspase activation following cytochrome c release and Bid cleavage . Life Sciences . 73 . 17 . 2249–2262 . 10.1016/s0024-3205(03)00568-x . 12927594.
  10. Cheng, K. C.. Lee, H. M.. Shum, S. F.. Yip, C. P.. 1990. A fatality due to the use of cantharides from Mylabris phalerata as an abortifacient. Medicine, Science and the Law. 30. 4. 336–340. 10.1177/106002809003000410. 2263179. 73301032.
  11. Web site: Host range and host preference of blister beetles . 2021-07-26 . Madras Agricultural Journal, 2003.

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