Meloe violaceus Marsham, 1802
(Violet Oil-beetle)

Taxonomic hierarchy:
SpeciesMeloe violaceus (Violet Oil-beetle)
GenusMeloe (blister beetles, oil beetles)
FamilyMELOIDAE (oil beetles)
SuperfamilyTENEBRIONOIDEA (narrow timber beetles)
Series Cucujiformia (a group of beetles)
SuborderPOLYPHAGA (mainly terrestrial beetles)
OrderCOLEOPTERA (beetles)
Division Endopterygota (bees, beetles, flies, moths and other insects with wings developing internally)
InfraclassNeoptera (bees, beetles, flies, grasshoppers, moths and other advanced insects)
SubclassPTERYGOTA (bees, beetles, dragonflies, flies, grasshoppers, moths and other winged insects)
ClassINSECTA (true insects)
SubphylumHEXAPODA (insects and other 6-legged organisms)
PhylumARTHROPODA (arthropods)
SuperphylumECDYSOZOA (skin shedders)
CladeBilateria (bilaterally symmetrical animals)
SubkingdomEUMETAZOA (metazoans)
KingdomANIMALIA (animals)
DomainEukaryota (eukaryotes)
LifeBIOTA (living things)
Records of Meloe violaceus (Violet Oil-beetle) :
1: Meloe violaceus (Violet Oil-beetle)
12 Apr 2016 OSGR: SU01 50° 60’ N, 1° 60’ W Vice County: South Wilts (VC 8) England
Mating pair
Image 1: Male - dorsal viewImage 2: Mating pair
2: Meloe violaceus (Violet Oil-beetle)
21 May 2008 OSGR: NS03 55° 40’ N, 5° 10’ W Vice County: Clyde Islands (VC 100) Scotland

Male, slightly damaged beetle on footpath

Image 1: Male - dorsal view - close-upImage 2: Male - dorsal view - close-up (2)Image 3: Male - dorsal view - close-up (3)Image 4: Male - dorsal view - close-up (4)Image 5: Male - dorsal view - close-up - white backgroundImage 6: Male - dorsal view - in situImage 7: Male - dorsal view - in situ (2)Image 8: Male - dorsal view - in situ (3)Image 9: Male - lateral view - close-upImage 10: Male - lateral view - close-up (2)Image 11: Male - lateral view - in situImage 12: Male - latero-dorsal view - in situImage 13: Male antenna - close-up - highly enlargedImage 14: Male - foreparts - dorsal view - close-up - enlargedImage 15: Male - foreparts - dorso-lateral view - close-up - enlargedImage 16: Male - foreparts - dorso-lateral view - close-up - enlarged (2)Image 17: Male - foreparts - dorso-lateral view - close-up - enlarged (3)Image 18: Male - foreparts - lateral view - close-up - enlargedImage 19: Male - foreparts - latero-dorsal view - close-up - enlargedImage 20: Male - foreparts - latero-dorsal view - close-up - enlarged (2)Image 21: Male - foreparts - latero-dorsal view - close-up - enlarged (3)Image 22: Male - foreparts - latero-dorsal view - close-up - enlarged (4)Image 23: Tarsi - close-up - highly enlargedImage 24: Tarsus 1 - close-up - highly enlargedImage 25: Tarsus 2 - close-up - highly enlargedImage 26: Tarsus 3 - close-up - highly enlarged
3: Meloe violaceus (Violet Oil-beetle)
15 Apr 1974 OSGR: SD76 54° 0’ N, 2° 30’ W Vice County: Mid-west Yorks (VC 64) England
Image 1: Atrichopogon (Dipt., Ceratopoginidae) feeding on the beetleImage 2: Male antenna - close-upImage 3: Male - dorsal view - close-upImage 4: Male - dorsal view - close-up (2)Image 5: Male - lateral view - close-upImage 6: Mating pair - dorsal view - close-upImage 7: Mating pair - lateral view - close-upImage 8: Mating pair - lateral view - close-up (2)

Meloe violaceus (Violet Oil-beetle) may be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

NBNNBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for Meloe violaceus (Violet Oil-beetle)
BioInfoBioInfo (www.bioinfo.org.uk) has 2 host/parasite/foodplant and/or other relationships for Meloe violaceus (Violet Oil-beetle)
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