Abstract: Cantharidin, a terpenoid substance, is contained in a group of widely spreading insects—the blister beetles (Coleoptera: Meloidae) in the world. It has been used medicinally for its irritant proprieties, both in China and in the western countries for a long time. In China, in recent years, the clinical practice of cantharidin and its derivatives proved their curative effect on the primary liver cancer and some of other tumors to certain extent. In order to conserve and use the resource of Meloidae more effectively, an extensive survey of Meloidae and quantitative determinations of cantharidin in the adult of beetles were carried out. A total of 38 specimens in 9 species was collected on various host-plants from different districts in China. The cantharidin was isolated by HCl extraction of dry bodies of adults and quantitatively analyzed by GC with internal standard. The results showed that the maximum content of cantharidin was 2.932% of dry body in male Mylabris mongolica from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. All specimens contain cantharidin and the content of cantharidin was higher in the male than that in the female of the same species. In addition, the cantharidin content in the female collected after the copulation peak was higher than that before copulation peak, this suggested that transfer of cantharidin from male to female occurred during copulation.

Key words: Meloidae, species survey, cantharidin, content