''Scolia dubia'', also known as the two-spotted scoliid wasp
[ or a blue-winged scoliid wasp, is a species 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 distinctively corrugated. Males are more slender and elongated than females, w ...
.
Description and identification
''S. dubia'' is a long wasp.[ The body is black from the head through the first or second segment of the abdomen. The second third abdominal segment and beyond are red. The nominate subspecies possesses has the second abdominal segment black and two yellow spots on the third tergite, which are lacking in the subspecies ''S. dubia haematodes''. The wings are violaceous or with blueish reflections.][
Males are colored as the female of their respective subspecies but have longer antennae and seven rather than six metasomal segments.][
The subspecies ''S. dubia haematodes'' is colored much like '' Triscolia ardens'' but can be recognized by the forewing only possessing two submarginal cells rather than three in ''T. ardens''.][
]
Distribution
This species ranges from New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...
to Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...
and west to California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
in the United States.[ The southern extent of its range extends to Coahuila, Mexico.][
]
Biology
Females burrow into ground in search of grubs, particularly those of the green June beetle, ''Cotinis nitida
''Cotinis nitida'', commonly known as the green June beetle, June bug or June beetle, is a beetle of the family Scarabaeidae. It is found in the eastern United States and Canada, where it is most abundant in the South. It is sometimes confused ...
'', and some research suggests, possibly the Japanese beetle, ''Popillia japonica
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 controll ...
''.[ The wasp stings the grub and frequently burrows farther down to construct a cell and lay an egg on the host. The larva pupates and overwinters inside the body of the host.][
Adults collect nectar from flowers from July to September or October.][
Males of this species have been observed taking part in large mating flights from mid-August to early September in Virginia.][
]
Subspecies
There are two subspecies of ''S. dubia'':[
* '' Scolia dubia dubia'' Say, 1837
* '' Scolia dubia haematoes'' Burmeister, 1854
]
Gallery
Blue-winged wasp in BBG (42901).jpg, ''Scolia dubia dubia'' photographed in New York.
Scolia dubia haematodes (161541347).jpg, ''Scolia dubia haematodes'' photographed in Texas.
Blue-winged Wasp - Scolia dubia, Meadowood Farm SRMA, Mason Neck, Virginia.jpg, ''Scolia dubia dubia'' in Virginia
References
External links
Blue-winged wasp eating nectar in flowers
by GoTrails (2019)
Scoliidae
Hymenoptera of North America
Insects described in 1837
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