Megascolia procer, the giant scoliid wasp, is a solitary wasp in the family Scoliidae found across the Oriental region. It is one of the largest wasps in the world, with a wingspan of 11.6 cm.[2]
M. procer is a large tropical wasp with a body length of 46–77 millimetres (1.8–3.0 in).[2] The body is primarily black with yellowish markings on the front and vertex of the head, pronotum, scutellum, metanotum, medial spot on the first gastral tergite, and a pair of anterolateral spots on the third gastal tergite. The wings are brown with blue iridescent reflections.[1] This structural coloration is because the wing is made of chitin, made dark with melanin, and covered with a transparent overlayer 286 nm thick that acts as an interference thin film.[3]
The nominate subspecies has a broad range across the continent of Asia, including records in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Malaya, Thailand, Myanmar, and India.[1] There are also subspecies found in Sumatra, Java, and Borneo.[4][5][6]
The species is a parasitoid of the scarabaeid 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.[7]
There are four subspecies of M. procer:[1][8]
Megascolia procer, the giant scoliid wasp, is a solitary wasp in the family Scoliidae found across the Oriental region. It is one of the largest wasps in the world, with a wingspan of 11.6 cm.
