Eumenes papillarius (Christ, 1791)

van Achterberg, Cornelis, Smit, John T. & Ljubomirov, Toshko, 2023, Review of the European Eumenes Latreille (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) using morphology and DNA barcodes, with an illustrated key to species, ZooKeys 1143, pp. 93-163 : 93

Eumenes papillarius (Christ, 1791)

Figs 112-121 , 122-131 , 262-266

Sphex papillarius Christ, 1791: 325.

Eumenes papillarius ; Tobias and Kurzenko 1978: 160; Hensen 1985: 45; Castro 1997: 4; Schmid-Egger and Schmidt 2002: 18; Schmid-Egger 2004: 72, 2010: 23; Smit et al. 2004: 327; Woydak 2006: 41-44; Castro and Sanza 2009: 266; Abenius 2012: 272; Arens 2012: 488; Archer 2014: 33; Neumeyer 2014: 367, 2019: 272; Baldock et al. 2020: 44.

Eumenes (Eumenes) papillarius papillarius ; van der Vecht and Fischer 1972: 130 (literature before 1972); Vergés Serra 1985: 143; Castro 1997: 4; Sanza 1997: 451; Gereys 2016: 132; Dal Pos et al. 2022: 16.

Eumenes papillarius papillarius ; Gusenleitner 1972: 87-88, 2013: 28; Borsato and Turrisi 2004: 144; Gogala 2022: 26-28.

Eumenes (Eumenes) papillarius ; Fateryga 2017: 182, 2018: 207.

Eumenes bipunctis de Saussure, 1852: 33; van der Vecht and Fischer 1972: 134 (as unidentified species; literature before 1972); Gusenleitner 1972: 87 (as synonym of E. papillarius ); Gereys 2016: 132 (id.); Fateryga 2017: 182 (id.).

Eumenes bimaculatus André, 1884: 645; van der Vecht and Fischer 1972: 130 (as synonym of E. papillarius ; literature before 1972): Gusenleitner 1972: 87 (as synonym of E. papillarius ); Gereys 2016: 132 (id.); Fateryga 2017: 182 (id.).

Eumenes papillarius var. baltica Blüthgen, 1938: 485; Fateryga 2017: 182 (as synonym of E. papillarius ).

Eumenes (Eumenes) papillarius balticus ; van der Vecht and Fischer 1972: 130 (literature before 1972); Dal Pos et al. 2022: 16.

Eumenes papillarius balticus ; Gusenleitner 1972: 89-90, 1999: 572.

Eumenes mediterraneus aemilianus Guiglia, 1951: 28. Syn. nov.

Eumenes (Eumenes) mediterraneus aemilianus ; van der Vecht and Fischer 1972: 125 (literature before 1972).

Eumenes aemilianus ; Gusenleitner 1972: 95-96, 1999: 569; Borsato 2006: 140.

Eumenes papillarius monticola Blüthgen, 1956: 2; van der Vecht and Fischer 1972: 130; Castro 1997: 4 (as synonym of E. papillarius ); Gereys 2016: 132 (id.); Fateryga 2017: 182 (id.).

Eumenes papillarius rubricornis Giordani Soika (in Gusenleitner), 1972: 90; Gusenleitner 1999: 572, 2013: 28; Fateryga 2017: 182 (as synonym of E. papillarius ).

Eumenes (Eumenes) papillarius rubricornis ; Dal Pos et al. 2022: 16.

Notes.

Large specimens (fore wing length about 10 mm) have frequently a pair of yellow patches on the mesoscutum antero-laterally; the patches vary from minute to large. The photographs of the female holotype kindly supplied by Roberto Poggi (MSNG) show that E. aemilianus Guiglia, 1951 is a junior synonym of E. papillarius (Christ, 1791) (syn. nov.) because of the entirely dark brown labrum (Fig. 265 ), the shallow apical emargination of the clypeus (Fig. 265 ), the pair of large yellow patches on the mesoscutum (Fig. 264 ) and the medium-sized setosity of the second tergite (mentioned in the original description). The holotype female (deposited in MSNG) is a comparatively yellowish specimen with slender first tergite, it has the clypeus narrowly black apically, the mesoscutum with a pair of large and curved yellow lateral patches, the apex of the antenna black and the apical rim of the second tergite pale yellowish (Figs 262-266 ). The presence or absence of a pair of yellow mesoscutal patches is a variable (and at least partly size related) character in E. papillarius and does not indicate that it concerns a separate species (see also comments of Gusenleitner (1972) under E. papillarius ). Aberrant specimens from the Iberian Peninsula have medium-sized to long setae on the second sternite and the apex of the hind tibia is yellow. The apical lamella of the second tergite varies from pale yellowish to dark brown.

Distribution.

Widespread in most of Europe, but considered absent from UK (only known as vagrant in England; Archer 2014), Norway, Sweden and Finland. Found up to 1550 m altitude in Switzerland ( Neumeyer 2019), but in S Greece rather rare and restricted to lowland and submontane habitats ( Arens 2012). This species is often found near human settlements and using small crevices of buildings (e.g., under roof tiles) to construct small groups of clay nests.

Figures

Figures 112 - 121. Eumenes papillarius (Christ), France, female 112 metasoma lateral 113 first metasomal tergite dorsal 114 first tergite ventral 115 head and mesosoma dorsal 116 second tergite latero-dorsal 117 head anterior 118 head and pronotum lateral 119 antenna anterior 120 hind tarsal claw 121 hind tibia lateral.

Figures 122 - 131. Eumenes papillarius (Christ), France, male 122 metasoma lateral 123 first metasomal tergite dorsal 124 first tergite ventral 125 head and mesosoma dorsal 126 second tergite dorsal 127 hind tibia lateral 128 head anterior 129 head and mesosoma lateral 130 antenna anterior 131 apical hook of antenna lateral.

Figures 262 - 266. Eumenes mediterraneus aemilianus Guiglia, holotype, Italy, female 262 metasoma lateral 263 propodeum and first metasomal tergite dorsal 264 head and mesosoma dorsal 265 head anterior 266 head and mesosoma lateral. Photographs: R. Poggi (MSNG).