Scoliidae - Scolia nobilitata

Scolia nobilitata

The first image you submitted from 2008 is of a female, those from today are male. The female may be an aberrant specimen, there's not another species I suspect it to be.

If there are any specimens that you aren't sure of after using the key, you can mail them to me and I can verify their identity, and send them back (if you have a permit to collect in the park). These males are without a doubt S. nobilitata. The female I'm almost certain is another S. nobilitata variation.

Moved from ID Request.

… George Waldren, 30 September, 2009 - 5:14pm

Scolia nobilitata males

I appreciate your looking at these photos and confirming the ID's. As you mentioned we do not collect in the park. Occasionally we find dead insects, mainly spider or Assassin bug prey, that we do collect, but so far no scoliids.

Would you be willing to look at another Anza-Borrego scoliid for me. It is http://bugguide.net/node/view/227026. I saw it at the same place on the same plant as Crioscolia flammicoma, http://bugguide.net/node/view/240667, except the date was Oct. 2003 instead of Oct. 2008. The two are certainly similar and there are so few scoliids in California. I suspect it is the same critter, but I cannot see the wing venation. Do you think I'm on the right track?

… Lynn Monroe, 1 October, 2009 - 10:18pm

I'm not sure

I'm hesitant to give an ID on it -- I haven't seen all of the southwestern scoliids before. They appear to be the same species (both male at least) but I'm not positive. Hopefully in the future I or someone else can get a name on it for you.

… George Waldren, 2 October, 2009 - 10:52am

Scoliids from photos

I appreciate your looking at the images. Thanks so much, George. It really is difficult to ID photographs of so many insects, and Hymenoptera are especially difficult!

… Lynn Monroe, 2 October, 2009 - 5:43pm

Anytime

Thanks for sharing your photos! Keep the wasp shots coming.

… George Waldren, 3 October, 2009 - 1:05am