Scolia flaviceps Eversmann, 1846

Christian Schmid-Egger, 2017, Order Hymenoptera, families Scoliidae and Thynnidae, Arthropod fauna of the UAE 6, pp. 336-340 : 7

Scolia flaviceps Eversmann, 1846

Specimens examined: UAE: Jebel Hafit, S of al-Ain, 1♂, 19.iii.2 009, leg. CSE. Al-Ain, lake, 17 km SW of, 1♂, 1♀, 10.i.2011, leg. CSE; 1♂, 13.i.2011, leg. CSE. Sharjah Desert Park, 1♂, 19.iii.2009, leg. CSE. Wadi al-Helo, near tunnel, 2♀, 19.iii.2009, leg. CSE. Wadi Bih (dam), 19.iii.2009, 2♂, leg. CSE. Wadi Maidaq, 19.iii.2009, 1♂, leg. CSE. Wadi Shawkah, 1♀, 2.viii.2007, leg. AvH. Wadi Wurayah, 1♀, 30.xi.2008, leg. AvH; 1♂, 19.iii.2009, leg. CSE.

Discussion: Osten et al. (2003) pointed out that Scolia flaviceps quettaensis Cameron, 1907 , and the Central Asian Scolia flaviceps mangichlakensis Radoskovsky, 1879 , are most probable not subspecies but colour forms of a widespread and variable species, Scolia flaviceps . The populations of the Arabian Peninsula belong to S. flaviceps quettaensis Cameron, 1907, here treated as ‘forma’. The ‘subspecies’ was described from Quetta in Pakistan. The species was recorded from the UAE as Vobalayca flavifrons quettaensis by Schulten (2008). The species name flavifrons probably was a misspelling of flaviceps, because Megascolia maculata flavifrons Fabricius, 1775, is a well-known species from the Mediterranean area, not occuring in the UAE.

Distribution: Central Asia to Arabia, forma quettaensis in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE ( Osten et al., 2003).