English: South AfricanMeloid beetle eating flower of Dietes sp. Genus Actenodia. The common name of the genus is "CMR beetles". The name refers to the yellow-and-black uniforms of a local regiment during the mid-nineteenth century: the Cape Mounted Riflemen. The beetles are minor pests as adults, attacking flowers of various plants, including peas and beans, but the larvae are regarded as useful, attacking the egg purses of certain kinds of grasshoppers. This specimen was photographed near Somerset West in South Africa.
The beetles in the family Meloidae are poisonous, generally containing the substance cantharadin, which is the active ingredient in preparations of Spanish fly