Red-striped oil beetle

Berberomeloe majalis
Blister beetles (Meloidae)

♀

Red-striped oil beetleon RikenMon's Nature-Guide

CC-BY-SA 4.0 rights : RikenMon

Strikingly long black beetle with orange-red stripes on the edge of each abdomen segment. The head and chest are remarkably small compared to the enormous abdomen. The wing shields are short. ♀ is significantly longer than ♂. The stripes can vary from bright to matt red and can even be completely absent. 

⇔ l. 40-70 mm 

The larvae climb in flowers and grab a bee to hitchhike to the hive. They stay there until they are fully grown. MELOIDAE (Blister beetles) can excrete an oily substance that is poisonous, even for people. 

LA: 
This is one of the biggest insects in Europe and by its shape and colour hardly to be confused. 
≈ The MELOE PROSCARABAEUS (Black Oil Beetle) and the MELOE VIOLACEUS (Violet oil beetle) are shorter and rounder and lack the red stripes. 
≈ The BERBEROMELOE INSIGNIS does not have orange-red stripes but has some orange-red spots on its head. This is much rarer and only to be found in southern Spain. No picture available.
≈ The PHYSOMELOE CORALLIFER is completely black with red dots on the neck shield, it is endemic in Spain and Portugal. See photo LA.

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