DIGITAL FIELD GUIDE: WASPS (Order: Hymenoptera)
Yellow-spot Scoliid
<-- from Key Location 12b (Crioscolia sp.) or 20a
Trielis sp.
Scolia nobilitata
Crioscolia sp.
Identification features:As with the Red Velvet scoliids, these genera are not distinguishable in the field. They are markedly different from the Red Velvet scoliids in that their abdomens are not covered in fiery red pubescence. Instead these Yellow-spot scoliids are rather slender, with an overall elongated appearance. While their basic color is black, bright yellow spots or bands are prominent on the abdomen. There are also yellow patches on the shoulders, and yellow bands across the thorax. Wings are long and narrow, usually clear or partly brownish, but not inky dark-black like the Red Velvet scoliids. The legs are red, and sometimes there are reddish body markings in addition to yellow spots. You can often see the short hairs. Sometimes the hairs may be white or clear, rarely are they fiery red-orange.
The Yellow-spot scoliid is easily confused with a Tiphid wasp. Generally, the tiphid wasp is even more slender than a scoliid, and the male tiphid wasp has a distinct up-curved hook at the end of his abdomen.
Nesting habit and prey: Females spend most of their time underground, searching for scarab beetle grubs, especially June beetles and Japanese beetles. When she finds a grub, she paralyzes it with a sting. Then she digs a nest burrow, or she may use the grub’s own burrow. She lays an egg on the paralyzed grub and seals up the nest.
The Scoliid wasp as pollinator: Adults of both sexes are frequent visitors to flowers where they go in search of nectar. We observed them on plants with shallow open flowers including soapberry, mortonia, Texas kidneywood, sunflowers, and sumacs.
