The Scoliidae, the scoliid

wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...

s, are a family of about 560 species found worldwide. They tend to be black, often marked with yellow or orange, and their wing tips are distinctively corrugated. Males are more slender and elongated than females, with significantly longer antennae, but the

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

is not as apparent as in the

Tiphiidae The Tiphiidae (also known as the tiphiid wasps) are a family of large, solitary wasps whose larvae are parasitoids of various beetle larvae, especially those in the superfamily Scarabaeoidea. Until recently, this family contained several addition ...

Biology

Scoliid wasps are solitary

parasitoid In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host (biology), host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionarily stable str ...

s of

scarab beetle The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwide; they are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family has undergone significant change in recent years. Several sub ...

larvae. Female scoliids burrow into the ground in search of these larvae and then use their sting to paralyze them. They will sometimes excavate a chamber and move the paralyzed beetle larva into it before depositing an egg. Scoliid wasps act as important

biocontrol Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, such as insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases, using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also invo ...

agents, as many of the beetles they parasitize are pests, including the

Japanese beetle The Japanese beetle (''Popillia japonica'') is a species of scarab beetle. The adult measures in length and in width, has iridescent copper-colored elytra and a green thorax and head. It is not very destructive in Japan (where it is control ...

. Male scoliids patrol territories, ready to mate with females emerging from the ground. Adult wasps may be minor

pollinator A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are the maj ...

s of some plants and can be found on many

wildflower A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant probably is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is in any way different from the ...

s in the late summer. Scoliidae also has at least one species known to engage in

pseudocopulation Pseudocopulation describes behaviors similar to copulation that serve a reproductive function for one or both participants but do not involve actual sexual union between the individuals. It is most generally applied to a pollinator attempting to co ...

with an orchid. Flowers of the orchid ''Bipinnula penicillata'' in subtropical South America resemble females of ''Pygodasis bistrimaculata'', tricking male wasps into attempting to mate and, in the process, provide pollination. Scoliids include some of the largest wasps in the world, such as ''

Megascolia procer ''Megascolia procer'', the giant scoliid wasp, is a solitary wasp in the family Scoliidae found across the Oriental region. It is one of the largest wasps in the world, with a wingspan of 11.6 cm. Measurement scale on Figure 1. Descriptio ...

.''

Taxonomy

Living scoliidae genera are classified as follows:

Subfamily: Proscoliinae

*'' Proscolia'' Rasnitsyn 1977

Subfamily:
Scoliinae The Scoliidae, the scoliid wasps, are a family of about 560 species found worldwide. They tend to be black, often marked with yellow or orange, and their wing tips are distinctively corrugated. Males are more slender and elongated than females, wi ...

Tribe:
Campsomerini Campsomerini is a cosmopolitan tribe (biology), tribe of the family Scoliidae. An alternative representation is as a subfamily, Campsomerinae. Genera Genera within this tribe include:Gerard G. M. SchultenThe Flower Wasps (Hymenoptera: Scoliidae) ...

*'' Aelocampsomeris'' Bradley 1957 *'' Aureimeris'' Betrem, 1972 *'' Australelis'' Betrem, 1962 *''

Campsomeriella ''Campsomeriella'' is a genus of the family Scoliidae, also known as the scoliid wasps. They are generally parasites of beetle larvae, most often of Scarabaeidae. Species List *''Campsomeriella agilis'' (Smith, 1859) *'' Campsomeriella annulat ...

'' Betrem, 1941 *''

Campsomeris ''Campsomeris'' is a Neotropical genus of the family Scoliidae, also known as the scoliid wasps. They are generally parasites of beetle larvae, most often of Scarabaeidae The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 30,000 ...

'' Lepeletier, 1838 *'' Cathimeris'' Betrem, 1972 *'' Charimeris'' Betrem, 1971 *'' Colpa'' Dufour, 1841 *'' Colpacampsomeris'' Betrem, 1967 *'' Crioscolia'' Bradley, 1951 *'' Dasyscolia'' Bradley, 1951 *''

Dielis ''Dielis'' is a New World genus of the family Scoliidae, also known as the scoliid wasps. Species Species within this genus include: *''Dielis auripilis'' (Fox, 1896) *''Dielis bahamensis'' (Bradley, 1964) *''Dielis dorsata'' (Bradley, 1940) & ...

'' Saussure & Sichel, 1864 *'' Extrameris'' Betrem, 1972 *'' Guigliana'' Betrem, 1967 *'' Laevicampsomeris'' Betrem, 1933 *'' Leomeris'' Betrem, 1972 *'' Lissocampsomeris'' Bradley, 1957 *'' Megacampsomeris'' Betrem, 1928 *'' Megameris'' Betrem, 1967 *'' Micromeriella'' Betrem, 1972 *'' Peltatimeris'' Betrem, 1972 *'' Phalerimeris'' Betrem, 1967 *'' Pseudotrielis'' Betrem, 1928 *''

Pygodasis ''Pygodasis'' is a New World genus of wasps in the family Scoliidae The Scoliidae, the scoliid wasps, are a family of about 560 species found worldwide. They tend to be black, often marked with yellow or orange, and their wing tips are distinct ...

'' Bradley, 1957 *'' Radumeris'' Betrem, 1962 *'' Rhabdotimeris'' Bradley, 1957 *'' Sericocampsomeris'' Betrem, 1941 *'' Sphenocampsomeris'' Bradley, 1957 *'' Stygocampsomeris'' Bradley, 1957 *'' Tenebromeris Betrem, 1963 *'' Trisciloa'' Gribodo, 1893 *'' Tristimeris'' Betrem, 1967 *'' Tubatimeris'' Betrem, 1972 *'' Tureimeris'' Betrem, 1972 *'' Xanthocampsomeris'' Bradley, 1957

Tribe:
Scoliini Scoliini is a cosmopolitan tribe of the family Scoliidae. Genera Genera within this tribe include: '' Austroscolia'' Betrem, 1927 '' Diliacos'' Saussure & Sichel, 1864 '' Laeviscolia'' Betrem, 1928 '' Liacos'' Guérin-Méneville, 1838 ...

*'' Austroscolia'' Betrem, 1927 *'' Carinoscolia'' Betrem, 1927 *'' Diliacos'' Saussure & Sichel, 1864 *'' Laeviscolia'' Betrem, 1928 *'' Liacos'' Guérin-Méneville, 1838 *''

Megascolia ''Megascolia'' is a genus of large solitary wasps from the family Scoliidae, the species classified under ''Megascolia'' include some of the world's largest wasps. They are parasitoids of large Scarabeid beetles such as the European rhinoceros ...

'' Betrem, 1928 *'' Microscolia'' Betrem, 1928 *'' Mutilloscolia'' Bradley, 1959 *''

Pyrrhoscolia ''Pyrrhoscolia'' is a genus of scoliid wasps in the subfamily Scoliinae. It is native to the Afrotropics, where they have been recorded in various Afromontane regions. They are external parasitoids of beetle larvae. The wings of all three spec ...

'' Bradley, 1957 *'' Scolia'' Fabricius 1775 *''

Triscolia The Scoliidae, the scoliid wasps, are a family of about 560 species found worldwide. They tend to be black, often marked with yellow or orange, and their wing tips are distinctively corrugated. Males are more slender and elongated than females, wi ...

'' de Saussure 1863

Subfamily † Archaeoscoliinae

The subfamily Archaeoscoliinae is known exclusively from the fossil record, with the largest diversity having lived during the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...

(

Barremian The Barremian is an age in the geologic timescale (or a chronostratigraphic stage) between 129.4 ± 1.5 Ma (million years ago) and 121.4 ± 1.0 Ma). It is a subdivision of the Early Cretaceous Epoch (or Lower Cretaceous Series). It is precede ...

) before going extinct by the late

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...

( Priabonian). *†'' Archaeoscolia'' **†'' Archaeoscolia hispanica'' **†'' Archaeoscolia senilis'' *†'' Cretoscolia'' **†'' Cretoscolia brasiliensis'' **†'' Cretoscolia conquensis'' **†'' Cretoscolia formosa'' **†'' Cretoscolia laiyangica'' **†'' Cretoscolia montsecana'' **†'' Cretoscolia patiens'' **†'' Cretoscolia promissiva'' **†'' Cretoscolia rasnitsyni'' *†''