Zeta abdominale (Drury)

Genaro, Julio A., 2011, Vespidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Puerto Rico, West Indies, Insecta Mundi 2011 (202), pp. 1-35 : 14

Zeta abdominale (Drury)

( Fig. 47 )

Sphex abdominalis Drury, 1770: 108 , pl. 45, fig. 2 - “ Jamaica ” (lost).

Vespa attenuata Fabricius, 1775: 372 � “Habitat in America” (lost). � de Saussure 1852: 70 (syn. of Eumenes abdominalis (Drury)) .

Sphex extensa Christ, 1791: 321 , pl. 32 fig. 7- “ Jamaika ” (lost). - de Saussure 1875: 106 (syn. of Eumenes abdominalis (Drury)) .

Polistes attenuata ; Fabricius, 1804: 279.

Eumenes abdominalis ; Westwood 1837: 102, pl. 45 fig. 2. - Ashmead 1900: 312.

Eumenes colona de Saussure, 1852: 70 , female � “La Jamaique; La Colombie ” (type depository unknown). � de Saussure 1875: 106 (syn. of E. abdominalis (Drury)) . � Kirby 1884: 409.

Eumenes ornatus de Saussure, 1855: 147 , pl. 8 fig. 3, female (in division Zeta ) � “Les Antilles” (lectotype MNHN). � de Saussure 1875: 106 (syn. of E. abdominalis (Drury)) . � Dewitz 1881: 200. � Ståhl 1883: 201. � Gundlach 1887: 159. � Ashmead 1900: 312 (ornata). � Wolcott 1924: 41 ; 1936: 568; 1941: 156; 1951: 860. � Giordani Soika 1975: 133 (designation of lectotype). REVISED STATUS.

Eumenes abdominalis var. ornatus ; de Saussure 1875: 107 (in division Zeta ).

Eumenes abdominalis var. colona ; de Saussure 1875: 107 (in division Zeta ).

Eumenes colonus var. ornatus ; Zavattari 1912: 127 (in division Zeta ).

Eumenes abdominalis var. hispaniolae Bequaert and Salt, 1931: 772 , female, male � “Santo Domingo. Port�au�Prince, Haiti ” (holotype female MCZH). REVISED STATUS.

Zeta abdominale abdominale ; Giordani Soika 1975: 131 (key), 130.

Zeta abdominale ornatum ; Giordani Soika 1975: 131 (key), 133.

Zeta abdominale hispaniolae ; Giordani Soika 1975: 131 (key), 132, fig. 2-4, 7.

This species was described from Jamaica, and recorded from Hispaniola and Greater Puerto Rico, as well as Antigua ( Giordani Soika 1975). In the revision by Giordani Soika (1975), it was treated as a polytypic species with three subspecies. Zeta a. abdominale is the form from Jamaica, while Zeta abdominale ornatum is that from Greater Puerto Rico and Antigua, and Zeta abdominale hispaniolae is that from Hispaniola. The case with these forms is similar to that of the other polytypic Antillean taxa treated here: the subspecies are distinguished by minor color differences, which show continuous variation. In this case, the subspecies are distinguished by the relative amounts of black versus ferru� ginous and yellow on the mesosoma and second metasomal segment. The senior author has previously ( Carpenter 1988) studied the subspecies recognized by Giordani Soika (1975) for Zeta argillaceum (Linnaeus) , all of which are based on color alone, and showed that the distinctions claimed for them did not hold up. All of the subspecies of Zeta argillaceum were accordingly synonymized, but the Antillean species were not studied at that time. They have been now, and also do not merit recognition.

It should be noted that Giordani Soika (1990: 166 �170) took issue with Carpenter’s (1988) paper, wish� ing to maintain the validity of his subspecies. As Carpenter (2003) showed, his arguments ranged from inconsistent to unintentionally ironic, and his taxonomic approach is simply outmoded. Subspe� cies have no place in a phylogenetic system, whether considered from the viewpoint of evolutionary taxonomy ( Wilson and Brown 1953) or cladistics ( Nixon and Wheeler 1990). Even if one were to argue that subspecies should be recognized so as to assist conservation efforts, the taxa in question here are not well distinguished.

Wolcott (1951) provided flower records and described the mud cells of the nest. The nesting behavior of this species has been extensively studied in Jamaica ( Freeman and Taffe 1974; Taffe and Ittyeipe 1976; Taffe 1978, 1983).

Figures

Figures 45-50. Images from life of vespid wasps from Greater Puerto Rico. 45) Pachodynerus atratus gathering mud up for nest construction on a path, Culebra Island. 46) Pachodynerus tibialis involved in the same activity, Mona Island. 47) Zeta abdominale with a mud ball ready for transportation to the nest, Puerto Rico. 48) Zethus rufinodus, Puerto Rico. 49) Mischocyttarus phthisicus on the nest, Puerto Rico. 50) Polistes crinitus on the nest, Mona Island.