Global zoogeography and systematic approaches of the blister beetles (Coleoptera: Meloidae): a bibliographic review

Abstract

Blister beetles, or oil beetles, belong to the family Meloidae in order Coleoptera. They are cosmopolitan and distributed allover world except for New Zealand, Antarctica and some regions of Oceania. Some blister beetles are agricultural pests but all produce cantharidin which dangerously affect both animals, other than many canthariphilous insects, and man albeit it is used, in some parts of the world, to treat certain ailment cases such as cancer. The present work reviews the worldwide distribution of Meloidae throughout temperate, arid, sub-tropical and tropical regions, focusing on the most important identified subfamilies, tribes, genera and species in each region. Also, this review comprehensively highlights the systematic efforts in several parts of the world including various taxonomic methods and tools, especially the adult morphology, triungulin morphology, sexual and egg-laying behavioural patterns, adult anatomy and molecular data which have been recently used to disclose some elusory systematic problems.