Megascolia procer
Megascolia procer (the Giant Scoliid Wasp) is a solitary wasp in the family Scoliidae. Found in the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java, it is one of the largest wasps in the world, with a wingspan of 11.6 cm.[1]
| Megascolia procer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Female (top) and male (bottom) of Megascolia procer javanensis. Private collection, F. Turetta. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Scoliidae |
| Genus: | Megascolia |
| Species: | M. procer |
| Binomial name | |
| Megascolia procer (Illiger, 1908) | |
Life Cycle
The Atlas beetle, Chalcosoma atlas (male shown), is the host for M. procer.
The species is a parasitoid of the scarabeid Atlas beetle Chalcosoma atlas. The wasp paralyzes a beetle grub with its sting, then lays an egg on it and buries it in an underground cell. When the wasp larva hatches, it consumes its still-living host before pupating inside its remains.[3]
Structural coloration
The wings of this large tropical wasp are structurally coloured, making them iridescent. The wing is made of chitin, made dark with melanin, covered with a transparent overlayer 286 nm thick that acts as an interference thin film.
Female specimen, Muséum de Toulouse
See also
References
- Sarrazin, Michael; Vigneron, Jean Pol; Welch, Victoria; Rassart, Marie (5 November 2008). "Nanomorphology of the blue iridescent wings of a giant tropical wasp Megascolia procer javanensis (Hymenoptera)". Phys. Rev. E 78 (5): 051902. arXiv:0710.2692. Bibcode:2008PhRvE..78e1902S. doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.78.051902. PMID 19113150. Measurement scale on Figure 1.
- Betrem, J. G.; Bradley, J. Chester (1964). "Annotations on the genera Triscolia, Megascolia and Scolia (Hymenoptera, Scoliidae)". Zoologische Mededelingen. 39 (43): 433–444.
- Piek, Tom (22 October 2013). Venoms of the Hymenoptera: Biochemical, Pharmacological and Behavioural Aspects. Elsevier. p. 173. ISBN 978-1-4832-6370-0.
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