Scarab-beetle-parasitoid
Guides
Dielis
scoliid wasps
Dielis is a New World genus of scoliid wasps (Hymenoptera: Scoliidae) in the tribe Campsomerini, formerly treated as a subgenus of Campsomeris. The genus comprises 12 species of medium to large solitary aculeate wasps distributed from Canada to southern South America. Adults are nectar-feeders, while larvae develop as ectoparasitoids of scarab beetle grubs in soil. The genus is notable for pronounced sexual dimorphism in color pattern and body structure, and for unusual mitochondrial genome architecture including a split cox2 gene.
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.
Pygodasis ephippium
Saddleback Scoliid Wasp
A large scoliid wasp reaching approximately 4 cm in length, with striking black and orange coloration. Males possess long antennae, slender bodies, and a conspicuous pseudostinger at the abdomen tip; females are more robust with shorter antennae and a functional retractable stinger. The species has been recorded as a parasitoid of scarab beetle grubs and as a flower visitor. Originally known from south Texas south to Ecuador, with more recent records from Arizona and Panama.
Scolioidea
Scoliid Wasp Superfamily
Scolioidea is a superfamily of Hymenoptera containing the family Scoliidae, a group of medium-sized wasps with approximately 560 species worldwide. The family is predominantly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with 64 species recorded in the New World. Scoliidae are ectoparasitoids of Scarabaeoidea larvae, particularly Melolonthinae (scarab beetles), which they immobilize and parasitize in terrestrial larval galleries. The superfamily has been taxonomically understudied in the Americas, with limited keys and ambiguous historical descriptions.
Sphecomyiella nelsoni
Sphecomyiella nelsoni is a species of pyrgotid fly described by Kondratieff & Fitzgerald in 1993. The species is currently recognized as a synonym of Pyrgota nelsoni, reflecting taxonomic revisions within the family Pyrgotidae. Pyrgotid flies are a small family of Diptera known for their distinctive biology as parasitoids of scarab beetles.