Scoliid wasps are solitary parasitoids of scarab beetle larvae. Female scoliids burrow into the ground in search of these larvae and then use their sting to paralyze them. They sometimes excavate a chamber and move the paralyzed beetle larva into it before depositing an egg.
Scolia are small to medium wasps between 5–25 millimetres (0.20–0.98 in). [2] The forewing has a single recurrent vein and two submarginal cells. [4] The species are usually black with variable yellow or red markings. The majority of setae are usually black or white but may also be mixed with red or yellow. [2]
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, with significantly longer antennae, but the sexual dimorphism is not as apparent as in the Tiphiidae.