''Dielis trifasciata'', also known as the three-banded scoliid wasp, is a species in the family

Scoliidae The Scoliidae, the scoliid wasps, are a family of wasps comprising about 560 species 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 ...

Description and identification

''Dielis trifasciata'' typically have a body length of , though males of the subspecies ''D. t. nassauensis'' can reach up to . The females have yellow bands on the three anterior abdominal segments. These bands are broad in the nominate subspecies, ''D. t. trifasciata'' but very narrow in the subspecies ''D. t. nassauensis''. In males, the last three abdominal segments are black, and the scutellum has a single yellow band. The males of ''D. t. trifasciata'' are distinguished from allied species in part by the extensively yellow clypeus.

Biology

These parasitic wasps lay eggs on larvae of the scarab '' Phyllophaga portoricensis''. Adult scoliids feed on nectar and possibly pollen.

Distribution

''Dielis trifasciata'' is present in southern Florida, the Bahamas, and in most of the Greater Antilles.

Subspecies

There are two subspecies of ''D. trifasciata'': *'' Dielis trifasciata nassauensis'' (Bradley, 1928) *'' Dielis trifasciata trifasciata'' (Fabricius, 1793)

Gallery

Dielis trifasciata nassauensis. Little San Salvadore, April (24004965867).jpg, ''D. trifasciata nassauensis'' female in the Bahamas. Dielis trifasciata nassauensis (14466667).jpg, ''D. trifasciata nassauensis'' male in the Bahamas. Campsomeris trifasciata, Arthur Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Boynton Beach, Florida.jpg, ''D. trifasciata trifasciata'' female in Florida. Scoliidae. Dielis trifasciata. Male (25762495926).jpg, ''D. trifasciata trifasciata'' male in Cuba.

References

Parasitic wasps Insects described in 1793 Scoliidae {{apocrita-stub