A taxonomic review of the genus Antepipona de Saussure, 1855 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) from India

Abstract

A review of 20 Indian species of the genus Antepipona de Saussure with a key to species and subspecies is provided. A new synonymy is proposed for Antepipona biguttata (Fabricius, 1787) =A. excelsa keralensis Lambert, 2004, syn. nov. The parasitic association of Strepsiptera is reported for the first time in the genus Antepipona. Antepipona rufescens (Smith, 1857) is newly recorded from India and A. ovalis (de Saussure, 1853) from Bangladesh. The reported distributions of ten species within India are enlarged.

Phylogeny of Rhynchium and Its Related Genera (Hymenoptera: Eumeninae) Based on Universal Single-Copy Orthologs and Ultraconserved Elements

“…In one clade, a monophyletic Anterhynchium is the sister to a clade comprising Dirhynchium and Rhynchium . Anterhynchium , Dirhynchium , and Rhynchium form a monophyletic lineage that shares a common feature: propodeum and metanotum at different levels in lateral view [ 5 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 14 , 15 ]. This supports the elevation of Dirhynchium to a valid genus, as it is proposed based on a mitogenomic analysis [ 16 ] and corroborated by morphological differences.…”

“…Hereafter, we refer to these four genera as the Rhynchium genera group in this study. The Rhynchium genera group has similar morphology, with a body size ranging from 8.9 mm to 15.1 mm, relatively stout, and slightly narrower first than the second gastral segment [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Because of the highly similar morphologies of these genera, it is sometimes challenging to tell them apart from each other, and therefore delineating their relationships is a significant exploration.…”

“…Firstly, the taxonomic status of Anterhynchium ( Dirhynchium ) is controversial. Dirhynchium van der Vecht, 1963 has long been regarded as a subgenus of Anterhynchium [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ] based on morphology. This, however, conflicts with the mitochondrial phylogenetic analysis which suggested that the subgenus Dirhynchium should be elevated to genus [ 16 ].…”

The Eumeninae (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) of Hong Kong (China), with description of two new species, two new synonymies and a key to the known taxa

“…Identifications were made using a stereomicroscope (Nikon SMZ1500), according to the descriptions or keys of Schulthess (1934), Yamane (1990), Giordani Soika (1994), Girish , Girish Kumar and Sharma (2013), Nguyen (2015), Nguyen and Carpenter (2016), Girish Kumar et al (2016), Girish Kumar et al 2017, Li and Chen (2014a, b, 2016a, Nugroho et al (2016), Li and Carpenter (2018), Ma et al (2017), Tan et al (2018a), Tan et al 2018b and Li and Carpenter 2019 and comparing the Hong Kong material with specimens deposited in the American Museum of Natural History (USA).…”

<b>Additional reports of solitary potter wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) in Bhutan</b>

“…Male: color similar to female except: clypeus wholly yellow, mandibles yellow except reddish brown apically, yellow mark at lower front is inverted triangle touching base of clypeus. For detailed description, consult Kumar et al (2016).…”