Meloe proscarabaeus

Size: Large (3-4cm)

Identifiaction: The large, flightless oil beetles, with their reduced wingcases and metallic sheen should not be mistaken for any other family of beetle. However, species within the family are similar.

Habitat: The species is usually coastal, and is often seen in early summer bumbling along coastal footpaths. However, it can also be found inland in meadows, field margins and other warm sites.

Lifecycle: All British Meloe have a shared, fascinating lifecycle. Eggs are laid in the soil by females. Then the larvae atch, they climb into a flower and await visiting solitary bees. With their well-developed claws, the larvae attach themselves to the bee and return with it to its nest. Here, they feed on the bee's eggs and the pollen and nectar it had collected. The larva pupates in the bee's nest, and leaves the nest to seek a mate directly afterwards.

Similar species: Meloe violaceus. In order to distinguish between these species, it is necessary to look at the shape of the pronotum and also at the mesonotum. In M. proscarabaeus, the base of the pronotum usually follows a dome-like curve, while that of M. violaceus is more pointed and triangular towards the centre. Also there is a 'bump' on the mesonotum (the area behind the pronotum) on M. violaceus that is absent on M. proscarabaeus.

I have only ever found M. proscarabaeus on costal footpaths: M. violaceus appears to prefer upland, inland habitats. However, this is not to say that  either species is distinctly distributed. It is just a pattern that I have noticed and should not be used to identify specimens.

Field/Lab: This species can be identified in the field.

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