I came across this on my walk after work. It is big - about 1" and I had never seen anything like it
before. I guessed it to be some kind of beetle, but otherwise was clueless, so I sent three pics to
www.BugGuide.net for ID. It is in the family Meloidae (Blister Beetles).
"Identification
Head and pronotum relatively smooth, without clearly visible microreticulation at 32X magnification.
Dorsal surface of elytra are coarsely punctate (not reticulate as in M. cancellata and vittata).
Elytra are rounded from top to side; the other two species have a well-defined edge.
Antennae generally shorter (as in M. vittata) than in M. cancellata.
Range
Chihuahuan Desert from SE Arizona and SW New Mexico, south into Mexico (Chihuahua, to southwestern Coahuila, and southern Durango).
Recorded altitudinal range: 4000 - 5000 ft. in USA; higher in Mexico, to 8500 ft near El Salto, Durango.
Season
July - September, with highest number recorded for August."