Pyrrhoscolia is a genus of scoliid wasps in the subfamily Scoliinae. It is native to the Afrotropics, where they have been recorded in various Afromontane regions. They are external parasitoids of beetle larvae.[1] The wings of all three species are noted for their brilliant lustre.[2]
The body and its vestiture are black, apart from the apical segments of the abdomen which are bright reddish in both sexes (3 segments in females, 4 in males). Two species of Scolia are similarly coloured, but have swarthy wings and a red spot in each ocular sinus (orsini oculares, the "bays" bordered by the kidney-shaped eyes). In males, unlike Scolia, the propodeum has two distinct horizontal lobes, which project well behind the insertion of the petiole.[2]
The forewings lack the second recurrent vein and third submarginal cell in both sexes. The wings are closely striolate apically, as with the Scoliidae generally, and feature strong blue, blue-green or golden-green effulgence.[2] The eyes are deeply notched, as with the family generally.[3] On the faces of females the front and frontal space (orspatium frontale, located between the antennae[4][5]) are separated by a distinct furrow, though not so in males. The male genitalia are distinctive.[2]
^Scholtz, Clarke H.; Holm, Erik; et al. (1985). Insects of Southern Africa. Durban: Butterworths. p. 428. ISBN0409-10487-6.
^Bradley, J. Chester (1950). "The most primitive "Scoliidae""(PDF). Ithaca, N.Y.: EOS, Revista Española de Entomologia: Bo. Paper 130. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
