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Austroscolia soror
Species of wasp From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Austroscolia soror is a species of scoliid wasp and a common insect found in eastern Australia.[1] This is one of several Australian species collectively referred to as a blue flower wasp, black flower wasp, or blue hairy flower wasp.
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Distribution
A. soror occurs in coastal areas from Queensland south to Victoria.[1]
Description and identification
A. soror is a very large scoliid wasp reaching up to 3 cm long. The body is black, and the wings are smoky with a blue iridescence.[2] This colour scheme is shared by several other Australian scoliids. The setae of A. soror are entirely black, and the second sternite is non-tuberculate.[3] As a member of Austroscolia, the wings have a single recurrent vein and three submarginal cells.[4]
Distinguishing this species requires close and thorough inspection of specimens. The allied and mostly sympatric A. nitida varifrons has denser punctures on the pronotum, mesothorax, and gaster.[5] A. commixta of the Northern Territory, known only from the male, has a tuberculate second sternite and has shorter antennae. Another common species, Australelis anthracina, has two recurrent veins and white setae.[6] While most females and southwestern males of that species are entirely black, males in the east have a single pair of yellow to orange spots on the third segment of the gaster.[3]
A. soror wing venation
Male A. soror in Victoria
Female of the similar Australelis anthracina in Western Australia
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Biology
Adults feed on nectar. The female lays her eggs on beetle larvae.
References
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