Digging-wasp
Guides
Myzinum obscurum
Myzinum obscurum is a species of thynnid wasp native to the Eastern United States. Like other members of its genus, it is a parasitoid of scarab beetle grubs, particularly those in the genus Phyllophaga. The species exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism: males have slender bodies, long straight antennae, and a prominent curled pseudostinger (modified genitalia), while females are larger and more robust with short coiled antennae and stout legs adapted for digging. Taxonomic placement has shifted historically, with the genus formerly placed in Tiphiidae but now recognized in Thynnidae.