oil beetle

American  

noun

1. any of several blister beetles of the genus Meloe that exude an oily fluid from the joints of their legs when disturbed.

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oil beetle British  

noun

1. any of various beetles of the family Meloidae that exude an oily evil-smelling blood from their joints, which deters enemies

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Etymology

Origin of oil beetle

First recorded in 1650–60

Example Sentences

In "Mammas," Rossellini dresses as a mother spider, wasp, hamster, toad, cuckoo, dunnock, oil beetle, piping plover and cichlid fish to show how each brings her young into the world.

From Seattle Times

There is evidence that beetle populations suffer during years when spring and summer are relatively cold and rainy, so conservationists are also concerned to see how threatened species such as the oil beetle will fare.

From BBC

Then there is that queer blue oil beetle, with his queerer history; that slender-waisted wasp that digs its deep hole in the dirt, and those round holes in the path, with their mysterious hocus-pocus.

From Project Gutenberg

Friday March 25 2011 13:53 GMT UK hunt for the last oil beetles A nationwide hunt is being launched to find four types of oil beetle that could vanish completely from the UK countryside.

From Children's BBC

Four native species of oil beetle are now left in the UK Conservationists are asking the public to take part in the first survey of the UK's threatened oil beetles.

From BBC