A quadriocellar scoliid wasp (Hymenoptera, Scoliidae) from Mallorca, with a brief account of supernumerary ocelli in insects

Abstract

A remarkable teratological female of Megascolia (Regiscolia) maculata flavifrons (Fabricius, 1775) (Scoliidae: Scoliinae: Scoliini) with a supernumerary median ocellus is described and illustrated. While supernumerary ocelli have been reported before from Diptera, Orthoptera, and Hymenoptera, this is the first record of such a malformation from a scoliid wasp. Four other teratological scoliid wasps have been reported in the literature but all were gynandromorphs. A brief summary of known records of supernumerary ocelli among insects is provided.