'Brachinus crepitans' definitions:

Definition of 'Brachinus crepitans'

From: GCIDE
  • Bombardier \Bom`bar*dier"\, n. [F. bombardier.] (Mil.) (a) One who used or managed a bombard; an artilleryman; a gunner. [Archaic] (b) A noncommissioned officer in the British artillery. [1913 Webster]
  • Bombardier beetle (Zool.), a kind of beetle ({Brachinus crepitans}), so called because, when disturbed, it makes an explosive discharge of a pungent and acrid vapor from its anal glands. The name is applied to other related species, as the Brachinus displosor, which can produce ten or twelve explosions successively. The common American species is Brachinus fumans. [1913 Webster]