Vespa tropica ( Linnaeus, 1758 )

Handru, Alan, Nugroho, Hari, Saito-Morooka, Fuki, Ubaidillah, Rosichon & Kojima, Jun-Ichi, 2020, Eusocial wasp fauna of Sulawesi Island, the central island of Wallacea (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Polistinae, Vespinae), Zootaxa 4885 (4), pp. 541-559 : 545-546

Vespa tropica ( Linnaeus, 1758)

( Figs. 1 , 26)

Sphex tropica Linnaeus, 1758: 571 .

Vespa tropica trimeres van der Vecht, 1957: 19 .

Specimens examined. Sulawesi I.: North Sulawesi: 4 ♀ ( MZB), Dumoga-Bone NP (=Bogani Nani Wartabone NP) , 47 km WSW Kotomabagu, Torant [ca. 00˚38‘N 123˚37‘E], alt. ca. 210 m [1 ♀, iv.1985; 3 ♀, v.1985] ; 1 ♀ ( MZB), 04˚27’S 122˚04’E, alt. ca. 25 m, Dumoga-Bone NP , 26.xi.2011, Darmawan . Central Sulawesi: 5 ♀ ( MZB, paratypes of trimeres), Palu [ca. 00˚54’S 119˚53’E], ii.1937, C. Frassen). South East Sulawes i: North Kolaka : 1 ♀ ( MZB), 03˚38.2’S 121˚04’E, Mekongga mountain 8 km nr Tinukari , 3.vii.2009, S. Heydon; 1 ♀ ( MZB), 03˚38’S 121˚04’E, alt. ca. 40 m, Wawo, Tinukari (camp 1), 12.viii.2009, GY . South Sulawesi: 1 ♀ ( MZB, paratype of trimeres), Tooyonbae, Palopo [ca. 03˚00’S 120˚12’E], alt. ca. 1,000 m, viii.1936, L. J. Toxopeus; 5 ♀, 1 ♂ ( MZB, paratypes of trimeres), Nanggala, Rantepao [ca. 02˚58’S 119˚52’E], alt. ca. 900 m, v.1938, F. C. Drescher; 1 ♀ ( MZB, paratype of trimeres), Masamba, Luwu [ca. 02˚26’S 120˚22’E], 16.v.1941, H. & E. Vonk; 1 ♀ ( MZB, para-type of trimeres), Bantimurung [ca. 04˚58’S 119˚39’E], alt. ca. 50 m, 9-18.viii.1949, A. Djakonoff & Manis. Indonesian Archipelago other than Sulawesi I.: Borneo I.: East Kalimantan: 12 ♀, 1 ♂ ( IUNH), Bukit Soeharto [ca. 00˚56’S 116˚58’E], H. Makihara [1 ♀, 1 ♂, 6.i.1998; 2 ♀, 12.i.1998; 1 ♀, 26.i.1998; 6 ♀, 9.ii.1998; 1 ♀, 23.ii.1998; 1 ♀, 9.iii.1998] ; Sumatra I.: West Sumatra: 1 ♀ ( SEHU), Padang [ca. 00°56’S 100°27’E], 23.xi.1980, SKY; 20 ♀ ( SEHU), Lubuk Minturun [ca. 00˚50’S 100˚22’E], SKY [1 ♀, 27.xi.1980; 1 ♀, 5.xii.1980; 1 ♀, 12.xii.1980; 1 ♀, 14.xii.1980; 2 ♀, 19.xii.1980; 4 ♀, 3.vii.1981; 1 ♀, 5.vii.1981; 1 ♀, 10.vii.1981; 1 ♀, 24.vii.1981; 1 ♀, 25.vii.1981; 1 ♀, 30.vii.1981; 3 ♀, 1.viii.1981; 1 ♀, 7.viii.1981; 1 ♀, 18.viii.1981]; 2 ♀ ( SEHU), Sungai Dareh [ca. 00˚57’S 101˚30’E] [1 ♀, 11.x.1983, Inoue, T.; 1 ♀, 17.xi.1984, Asril]; 4 ♀ ( MZB), alt. ca. 1.650 m, Talang Lake [ca. 01˚01’S 100˚42’E], 12.xii.1987, Siti Salmah ; Java I.: West Java: 1 ♀ ( IUNH), 06°33’S 107°04’E, Cimenyan, Sukamakmur, Jonggol, Bogor, 25.x.2000, JK ; East Java: 2 ♀ ( IUNH), 07°51’S 114°28’E, Baluran NP , 14.ix.2005, JK & RU; 2 ♀ ( IUNH), 07°50’S 114°26’E, Baluran NP, 15.ix.2005, JK & RU ; Bali I.: 1 ♀, 1 ♂ ( IUNH), 08°14’S 114°27’E , Bali Barat NP , 13.ix.2005, JK & RU. Sumbawa I.: 1 ♀ ( IUNH), 08°35’S 117°17’E, alt. ca. 800 m, Batudulang, Batulan-teh, 10.xi.2000, JK; 1 ♀ ( IUNH), 08°29’S 118°32’E, Ndano , Mada Pangga (Bolo) , Bima , 13.xi.2000, JK .

Remarks. This species, representing many local color forms, is widely distributed in the Oriental and Papuan Region, from Afghanistan to New Guinea and its adjacent islands (van der Vecht, 1957; Carpenter & Kojima, 1997). Having the first metasomal tergum extensively marked with orange-yellow, the Sulawesian population shows similar coloration to that of the New Guinean population (see also van der Vecht (1957:19)).

Distribution records: Indonesian Archipelago: throughout the archipelago, including New Guinea I.; Afghanistan; Indian subcontinent; Sri Lanka; southern parts of continental China; Indochina Peninsular; Philippine Islands; New Britain (van der Vecht, 1957; Carpenter & Kojima, 1997; Nguyen et al., 2006a).

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. ♀ of Vespa species. 1. V. tropica. 2–3. V. velutina. 4. V. affinis. 5–6. V. fervida. 1–5. Metasoma (1, 3–5. Lateral view, 2. Dorsal view). 6. Head, frontal view, arrows indicate apical teeth.