Other Common Names
Mammoth Wasps, Scarab Hawks, Scarab Hunters, Scarab Wasps
Numbers
22 spp. (and 11 sspp.) in 7 genera* in our area;
(1)(2)(3) 560 spp. in >140 genera total
(4)
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*Not counting Campsomeriella annulata and Micromeriella marginella modesta introduced to control the Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica), neither of which became established.
Size
10‒50 mm, extralimital spp. up to ~75 mm
Identification
Mesosternum and metasternum divided by a transverse suture, metacoxae well-separated
Family Scoliidae
Subfamily Scoliinae
Tribe Scoliini - forewing with 1 recurrent vein
Genus Scolia - forewing with 2 submarginal cells
Genus Triscolia - forewing with 3 submarginal cells
Tribus incertae sedis (Colpini or Scoliini) - forewing with 2 recurrent veins and 3 submarginal cells
Genus Colpa (including Crioscolia)
Tribe Campsomerini - forewing with 2 recurrent veins and 2 submarginal cells
Genus Dielis - setae of female primarily pale
Genus Pygodasis - setae of female primarily black
Genus Xanthocampsomeris - setae of female reddish on apex of abdomen and often also on the head and thorax
Range
worldwide; in NA, most diverse in the south
Food
Larvae are parasitoids of ground-dwelling scarab grubs; adults take nectar
Life Cycle
Female digs down to the host grub, stings it, and lays an egg on the paralyzed grub
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