Autohaemorrhaging

Autohaemorrhaging or reflex bleeding is the action of animals deliberately ejecting haemolymph or blood from themselves. If the animal has toxic compounds in its blood then it may be an effective chemical defence mechanism.

Animals that autohaemorrhage include:^[1]

• Beetles
  • Blister beetles
  • Meloidae whose haemolymph contains cantharidin that they sequester from plants that they feed on.
  • Timarcha species
  • Chrysomelidae whose haemolymph contains anthraquinones.
  • Ladybugs^[2]

• Hymenoptera
  • Sawfly larvae

• Orthoptera
  • Bushhoppers such as Dictyophorus spumans, Phymateus viridipes and Phymateus leprosus whose haemolymph contains cardiac glycosides sequestered from milkweed on which they feed.
  • Katydids including Eugaster species
  • Armoured ground crickets
  • Enyaliopsis nyala

• Plecoptera
  • Stonefly larvae

• Phrynosomatidae lizards
  • Horned lizard

• Snakes
  • Tropidophis, or wood snake, a genus of dwarf boa, which expel blood from the mouth, nostrils and eyes when disturbed.
  • Natrix natrix, or European grass snake, a Colubrid, which secretes blood from the mouth and nose while playing dead.

See also

• Haemorrhage
• Autothysis

References