Scarab-parasitoid
Guides
Boreothrinax dichaetus
Boreothrinax dichaetus is a species of fly in the family Pyrgotidae, originally described by Steyskal in 1978. The species is currently treated as a synonym of Pyrgota dichaetus, reflecting taxonomic uncertainty or reclassification within the genus. Pyrgotidae are a family of parasitoid flies known for attacking scarab beetles. Records indicate no documented observations in citizen science databases, suggesting rarity or limited detection.
Campsomerini
mammoth wasps
Campsomerini is a cosmopolitan tribe within the family Scoliidae (Hymenoptera), currently classified under subfamily Scoliinae. Members are commonly known as mammoth wasps. The tribe's higher-level taxonomy has been unstable, having been treated historically as subfamily Campsomerinae before being demoted to tribal status. Recent phylogenetic studies using ultraconserved element (UCE) data support Campsomerini sensu stricto (excluding Colpa and allies) as monophyletic, with the Australasian genus Trisciloa as sister to remaining members.
Colpa octomaculata octomaculata
Colpa octomaculata octomaculata is a subspecies of mammoth wasp in the family Scoliidae. Based on phylogenetic studies of the genus Colpa, this subspecies belongs to a lineage that is sister to the Scoliini tribe, rendering the traditional Campsomerini tribe non-monophyletic. The genus Colpa as a whole has been found to be non-monophyletic in molecular analyses, indicating that taxonomic revision is needed. This subspecies is part of a group of large-bodied parasitoid wasps whose larvae develop as parasitoids of scarabaeid beetle grubs.
Epomidiopteron
Epomidiopteron is a genus of solitary wasps in the family Tiphiidae, established by Romand in 1835. Members of this genus are parasitoid wasps, with females laying eggs on or near scarab beetle larvae that serve as hosts for their developing young. The genus is relatively poorly documented compared to other tiphiid genera, with limited species-level taxonomic revision in recent decades.
Golbachia wrighti
Golbachia wrighti is a species of scoliid wasp in the family Scoliidae. The genus Golbachia is a small group within the subfamily Campsomerinae, which comprises parasitoid wasps that attack scarab beetle larvae. Information specific to G. wrighti is limited in the available sources, though the genus shares biological characteristics with related campsomerine wasps.
Mallophora
Bee-killers
Mallophora is a genus of large, robust robber flies (family Asilidae) commonly known as bee-killers. The genus contains approximately 60 described species distributed primarily in the Americas. Adults are powerful aerial predators that capture bees and other insects in flight, while larvae of at least some species are solitary ectoparasitoids of scarab beetle larvae (white grubs) in soil. Mallophora ruficauda, the best-studied species, is a significant pest of apiculture in the Pampas region of Argentina, where adults prey on honey bees, yet the same species functions as a beneficial biological control agent of agricultural pests through its larval parasitism of scarab grubs.
Sphecomyiella
Sphecomyiella is a genus of flies in the family Pyrgotidae, established by Hendel in 1933. The genus is currently considered a synonym of Pyrgota, though its taxonomic status remains uncertain across sources. Pyrgotidae are known as pyrgotid flies, a group of parasitoid flies that target scarab beetles. The genus has been recorded in iNaturalist with over 1,000 observations, suggesting some level of field recognition, though identifications may reflect historical rather than current taxonomy.