Antepipona ceylonica ( de Saussure, 1867 )

Kumar, Girish P., Carpenter, James M. & Sureshan, Pavittu M., 2016, A taxonomic review of the genus Antepipona de Saussure, 1855 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) from India, Zootaxa 4150 (5), pp. 501-536 : 510-513

5. Antepipona ceylonica ( de Saussure, 1867)

( Figs 25–34 )

Odynerus ceylonicus de Saussure 1867: 12 , ♀, Ƌ (in subgenus Leionotus division Epsilon )—“Ceylon” (MHNG); Dalla Torre 1894: 59 (cat.);? Bingham 1896: 449 (cat.); 1897: 362 (key), 368 (Sikkim; Burma); Dalla Torre 1904: 42 (in subgenus Lionotus ; cat.); Paiva 1907: 15 (India: Siliguri).

Odynerus ornaticaudis Cameron 1909: 137 , ♀—“Bombay” (BMNH); Giordani Soika 1941: 264 (in subgenus Rhynchium ; Burma; close to O. ovalis de Saussure ); Giordani Soika 1982: 215 (syn. of A. ceylonica ).

Antepipona ceylonica: Giordani Soika, 1982: 207 (key), 215, figs 7–10 (India: Benaras, Anamalai Hills, Bombay, Walayar Forests, Coimbatore, Alagar Kovil, Nandy Hills, Nilgiri Hills, Begunia; Sri Lanka; Burma); Lambert 2004: 555 (key), 561 (compared to A. malabarica n. sp.); Gusenleitner 2006a: 690 (India: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala); Kumar & Sharma 2014: 234 (list), 239 (India: Rajasthan), fig 7.

Diagnosis. ♀. ( Figs 25–31 ): Pronotal carina well developed on lateral sides, not reaching dorsal side, it bends inwards before reaching dorsal side ( Fig. 28 ); dorsal side completely rounded; coloration of metasoma characteristic ( Fig. 31 ).

Colour. Body black, with yellow markings. Yellow: basal half of mandibles except basal black spot; clypeus with broad band basal and two apical fused or isolated longitudinal lines, mark at apex sometimes absent; lower face of scape; sub quadrate stain on front except at inter antennal space; band along inner orbits of lower lobes of eyes, which extends up to little above ocular sinus, sometimes spot in between upper lobe of eye and posterior ocelli and sometimes combined with yellow band of inner orbits; large line on temple; two large spots on dorsal surface of pronotum; large spot on mesepisternum; tegulae, except transverse brown band at middle; parategula; two large spots on scutellum; two spots on metanotum, sometimes fused; two wide longitudinal bands on propodeum; spots on mid and hind coxa; fore and mid femora, except dark line across back face; fore and mid tibia, except dark line across back face; outer face of hind tibiae; thin line across bottom face of first article of hind tarsi; tarsi yellow to brown ferruginous; T1 apically on band, narrow at sides where sometimes joins two specks, which isolated or absent; T2 with two large round spots at base and an apical band slightly enlarged in middle and on sides; minute specks on lateral margins of T3; thin band, sinuous, almost regular on T4; round spot on T6; S2–S3 with an apical band slightly enlarged at middle and on sides, sometimes S3 with only traces of apical band; sometimes even specks on lateral margins of apical of S4. Ventral surface of pedicel and flagellar segments yellowish brown. Wings sub hyaline, infumated along apical half of marginal vein.

Ƌ ( Figs 32–34 ). Clypeus slightly wider than long, rather strongly convex, weakly emarginated at apex, with short, sharp teeth, densely punctured ( Fig. 33 ); apical antennal article hook–like which reaching middle of tenth article ( Fig. 34 ); punctures stronger than those in ♀. Colour similar to ♀ except clypeus, supraclypeal area and interantennal space entirely yellow; mandible almost entirely yellow except brown apex; apex of T5 with yellow band; T7 without yellow markings.

Size (H+M+T1+T2). ♀, 6.5–7.5 mm; Ƌ, 6–7 mm.

Material examined. INDIA: Andhra Pradesh, Chittoor district, Ramapuram , 1Ƌ, 14.x.1997, Coll. B.C. Das & Party, NZC No. 16022/H3 . Chhattisgarh, Raipur district, Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary, Bar village , 1♀, 20.vii.2011, Coll. S.K. Gupta & Party, NZC No. 15291/H3; Jashpur district , Rangpur, 2Ƌ, 24.xi.2011, Coll. Mandal & Party, NZC Nos. 15292/H3, 15293/H3 . Goa, Poinguinim , 1Ƌ, 16.vi.1979, Coll. A.K. Sarkar & Party, NZC No. 16023/H3 . Gujarat, Junagadh district, Junagadh Circuit House Campus , 1♀, 15.vii.2014, Coll. Gaurav Sharma & Party, NZC No. 16024/H3 . Jharkhand, Giridih district, Paresnath Hills , 1♀, 13.iv.1909, Coll. N. Annandale, NZC No. 16025/H3. Karnataka, Chikmagalur district, Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary , Likkavalli , 1♀, 11.xi.2006, Coll. K.G. Emiliyamma & Party, NZC No. 16026/H3 . Kerala, Kozhikode district, Nanminda , 2♀, 2Ƌ, 6.vi.2010, 5.x.2011 & 3.vi.2015, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, NZC Nos. 16027/H3–16029/H3 & 17556/H3 . Rajasthan, Sirohi dist., Mount Abu , 3Ƌ, 10–11.vii.2014, Coll. Gaurav Sharma & Party, NZC Nos. 15028/H3–15030/H3 . Tamil Nadu, Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary, 1♀, 21.xii.2008, Coll. R. Angels & Party, NZC No. 16030/H3; Vellore district, Agaram, 1Ƌ, 29.xii.2010, Coll. S. Prabakaran & Party, NZC No. 16728/H3. Telangana, Khammam district , Bhadrachalam, 1♀, 7.iv.2014, Coll. R. Aengals & Party, NZC No. 16729/H3 . Uttarakhand, Haridwar district, Bahadrabad , 1♀, 15.vi.2003, Coll. B.G. Kundu & Party, NZC No. 16031/H3 . West Bengal, Paschim Medinipur district, Kharagpur , 1♀, 17–30.vi.1911, Coll. R. Hodgart, NZC No. 16032/H3.

Distribution. India: * Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, * Goa, * Gujarat, * Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, *Telangana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal; Myanmar; Sri Lanka.

Figures

FIGURES 25 – 30. Antepipona ceylonica (de Saussure), ♀. 25. Body, profile. 26. Head, frontal view. 27. Clypeus. 28. Pronotum, lateral view. 29. Mesosoma, dorsal view. 30. Propodeum.

FIGURES 31 – 36. 31 – 34. Antepipona ceylonica (de Saussure) (31, ♀; 32 – 34, Ƌ). 31. Metasoma, dorsal view. 32. Head, frontal view. 33. Clypeus. 34. Apical antennal articles. 35, 36. A. e. excelsa Giordani Soika, ♀. 35. Body, profile. 36. Clypeus.