General: Desert Blister Beetles (Lytta magister) are big (over 1-inch long), bright colored beetles with orange heads and black backs. More precisely, they have a red head and prothorax and black elytra. The proximal parts of the legs are also red, while the distal parts are black.

Desert Blister Beetles emerge in the spring and usually are seen in groups (mating swarms). Adults seem to constantly feed on flowers and other fresh vegetation, but that doesn't slow down their mating. Often a slightly larger female will be seen dragging the male about as she feeds while mating. Females lay eggs in the soil, and the beetle larvae invade ground-bee nests where they consume the immature host's provisions (sometimes eat the bee larvae too).

Family: Meloidae