Antodynerus de Saussure, 1855

Kumar, Girish P. & Carpenter, James M., 2013, A taxonomic review of the genus Antodynerus de Saussure, 1855 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) from the Indian subcontinent, Zootaxa 3731 (2), pp. 267-278 : 268

Genus Antodynerus de Saussure, 1855

Antodynerus de Saussure, 1855: 287 , name for division V of subgenus Leionotus of genus Odynerus ; validated by ICZN 1970: 187. Type species: “ Odynerus punctum (Fabricius) ” sensu de Saussure, 1853 [= Ve spa flavescens Fabricius, 1775 ], by subsequent designation ( van der Vecht 1959: 238; confirmed by ICZN 1970: 187).

Kalliepipona Giordani Soika, 1952: 81 (as subgenus of Pseudepipona de Saussure ). Type species: Odynerus radialis (de Saussure) [= Rhynchium radiale de Saussure, 1855 ], by original designation. Synonymized by Giordani Soika (1965).

Pseudokalliepipona Giordani Soika, 1955: 366 (as subgenus of Pseudepipona de Saussure ). Type species: Odynerus bellatulus de Saussure, 1853 , by original designation. Synonymized by Giordani Soika (1965).

Parepipona Giordani Soika, 1957: 477 (as subgenus of Pseudepipona de Saussure ). Type species: Odynerus radialis (de Saussure) [= Rhynchium radiale de Saussure, 1855 ], by original designation. Synonymized by van der Vecht & Fischer (1972).

Anthodynerus [!] Giordani Soika, 1961: 445. Incorrect subsequent spelling of Antodynerus de Saussure, 1855 .

Diagnosis. Metanotum angled, with dorsal raised disc, in dorsal view with semicircular ridge between the horizontal and vertical surfaces; anterior face of pronotum smooth, without foveae; tegula not evenly rounded posteriorly, emarginate adjoining parategula and surpassing apex of later; metanotum without tubercles; propodeum not raised shelf-like to same level of metanotum, without superior carinae; submarginal carina and valvula of propodeum not produced; fore wing with second submarginal cell not petiolate, first and second recurrent veins both received in second submarginal cell; midtibia with one spur; metasoma not petiolate; T1 sessile, not carinate, with transparent apical border; female cephalic fovea not in raised area; male antenna apically hooked; male midfemur not toothed; male S7 rounded apically.

Distribution. Ethiopian, Oriental and Palaearctic Regions.

Ethology. Knowledge about the behaviour of the genus Antodynerus de Saussure is poor. In the Indian subcontinent A. flavescens is known as a “squatter wasp,” nesting in pre-existing cavities, often in abandoned nests of Eumenes Latreille or Sceliphron Klug ( Jayakar & Spurway 1965) . See also Horne (1870), Cretin (1903), Stebbing (1905), Maxwell-Lefroy (1909), Gravely (1915), and Begum et al., (1991). Roubaud (1916) has published a brief note on the nesting behavior of the Afrotropical A. bellatulus bellatulus (de Saussure) , which also uses pre-existing cavities.

In this study we observed two behaviours of this genus for the first time. 1. Parasitic association of strepsipteran insect: In many specimens of Antodynerus limbatus (de Saussure) and some specimens of A. flavescens flavescens (Fabricius) female strepsipteran parasite were observed usually inside the tergal segments and rarely inside the sternal segments of the wasp. The female strepsipterans are larviform, leg-less and wingless, without eyes and antennae. In Figs 7 , 13 the female strepsipteran is seen as partially projecting from wasp’s metasoma. The species of the genus Pseudoxenos Saunders from family Stylopidae (Strepsiptera) are known as specialized parasites of Eumeninae ( Kifune & Yamane 1985, Lelej 1996). 2. Symbiotic association with mites: In many specimens of Antodynerus limbatus (de Saussure) and some specimens of A. flavescens flavescens (Fabricius) symbiotic associations with mites were observed. There are no modified acarinaria developed in the genus Antodynerus (see Giordani Soika 1985, for a survey of types of acarinaria). Mites usually occupy the posterior pits of the propodeum and rarely other areas such as the lateral sides of propodeum ( Fig. 17 ), metasoma, etc. The mites of the family Winterschmidtiidae (Acari) are known to be symbiotic with potter wasps (e.g. Okabe & Makino 2003).

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 12. 7, 8. Antodynerus flavescens flavescens (Fabr.), ♂. 7. Metasomal segments with parasitic strepsipteran female; 8. Genitalia. 9 – 12. A. limbatus (de Sauss.), ♀. 9. Body profile; 10. Head frontal view; 11. Head dorsal view; 12. Metasoma.

FIGURES 13 – 18. Antodynerus limbatus (de Sauss.). 13. Female, metasomal segments with parasitic strepsipteran female. 14 – 18. Male. 14. Head, frontal view; 15. Apical antennal segments; 16. Propodeum; 17. Lateral side of propodeum with symbiotic mites; 18. Genitalia.