Identification of the Mammoth wasp (Megascolia maculata (Hymenoptera: Scoliidae) sub-species

Last update: 15 October 2023


The Mammoth wasp (Megascolia maculata) is a sporadic introduced species in the Netherlands [Nederlands Soortenregister]. The species has two sub-species that can be identified based on the following characters [Tischendorf et al. 2020]:

  1. geographical area
  2. morphological characters

Geographical area

AreaSub-species
Western Mediterranean (Italy to Portugal)Megascolia maculata flavifrons
Western MediterraneanMegascolia maculata maculata
Southern FranceOverlapp of the sub-species
Geographical area of the Megascolia maculata sub-species

Morphological characters

hair colouration on mesoscutum and last abdominal tergiteSub-species
blackMegascolia maculata flavifrons
redMegascolia maculata maculata
Differentiating morphological characters of the Megascolia maculata sub-species
Attribution article thumbnail:
Sterilgutassistentin, GPL, via Wikimedia Commons

Literature

Nederlands Soortenregister Nederlands Soortenregister

Tischendorf et al. 2020 TISCHENDORF, Stefan; DIETERICH, Dorothea. Nachweis der Dolchwespe Megascolia maculata (Drury 773) in Hessen (Hymenoptera, Scoliidae). AMPULEX, 2020, 18.

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