Nesting and Biology of Alastor mocsaryi (Hymenoptera,Vespidae: Eumeninae)

Entomological Review - The nest structure of Alastor mocsaryi in trap nests was studied in Crimea. Fifteen nests were examined, located inside hollow reed stems 3.0–4.8 mm in inner diameter....     

Description of Males from Three Species of Eumeninae (Hymenoptera,Vespidae)

The external morphology and genitalia of the males of Stenonartonia mimica (Kohl 1907), Sphaeromenes discrepatus Giordani Soika, 1978 and Gamma bolivianum flavior Giordani Soika, 1990 are described for the first time.     

Nesting biology of the potter wasp Rhynchium brunneum brunneum (Fabricius, 1793) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) in North Vietnam

Rhynchium brunneum brunneum (Fabricius, 1793) is a common species using trap nests in North Vietnam. The females chose the nest traps with diameters ranging from 5.5 to 17 mm. Nests consisted of a linear series of one to eleven brood cells separated by mud partitions. Brood cells were provisioned with caterpillars, and eggs were attached to the ceiling of the cells by a thin filament. The life history and sex ratio data of this species were recorded from April to early November. Its sex ratio is strongly male-biased, being multivoltine, likely with four generations per year, the last one overwintering in the prepupal stage. Nesting activity of the species was described with major activities such as nesting site selection, oviposition, prey collecting, and applying cell material. Only 53.3% of the provisioned cells were successful; the others were damaged by six parasitoid species or died during development for unknown reasons.     

Nesting biology of Pareumenes quadrispinosus (de Saussure, 1855) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) in trap nests in North Vietnam

Nests of Pareumenes quadrispinosus (de Saussure, 1855) were obtained at Me Linh Station for Biodiversity (323 nests) and Tam Dao Town (283 nests), Vinh Phuc Province, as well as at Phu Luong, Thai Nguyen Province (9 nests) and Kim Boi, Hoa Binh Province (62 nests). The wasps nested in segments of bamboo canes and reed stems, 5 to 18 mm in internal diameter. Each nest consisted of a linear series of one to four cells, separated by mud partitions. Brood cells were provisioned with caterpillars and eggs were attached to the ceiling of the cells by thin threads. The life history and sex ratio of this species nesting in trap nests in North Vietnam were recorded from mid-April to last October. The species is multivoltine, with likely up to four generations per year. It has two alternative life histories (diapause and direct development) and overlapping generations. The sex ratio is strongly female-biased. Only 46% of the provisioned cells were successful; the others were damaged by nine parasitoid species or died during development for unknown reasons.     

Nesting Habit and Alarm Pheromones in Polistes gallicus (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

Alarm pheromones are used in many social insects to elicit an alarm response of nestmates towards disturbances. This chemical alarm channel is especially used by species nesting in closed environments. Polistes gallicus paper wasps typically found their nests on open substrates where visual and vibrational stimuli could be more important than the chemical one to alarm the colony. We investigated, through field bioassays, if, also in this species, workers venom is still the source of alarm pheromones. Our results show that venom volatiles are able to increase the colony defence reaction stimulating more individuals to attack and sting the object of disturbance. Therefore our results suggest the hypothesis that chemical alarm is independent of nesting habit (concealed vs exposed) within the Polistes genus.     

Taxonomic Review of the Genus Anterhynchium Saussure (Eumeninae, Vespidae, Hymenoptera) from East Asia

ABSTRACT Taxonomic study of the genus Anterhynchium from the Eastern Asia is carried out. A total of 15 forms included in four species were reviewed: A. melanopterum, A. flavopunctatum flavopunctatum, A. flavopuntatum opulentum, A. yunnanensis, A. flavomarginatum flavomarginatum, A. f. koreanum, A. f. tsushimarum, A. f. umenoi, A. f. micado, A. f. procella, A. f. insulicola, A. f. sulphreum, A. f. amamense, A. f. hanedai and A. f. formosicola. However, the A. flavopunctatum opulentum and A. yunnanensis are only cited for future work, due to the lack of available materials. Key to the other species and subspecies are revised, and photos showing diagnostic characters and coloration are presented. The male genitalic characters for accurate identification were separately discussed.     

西藏波密柑马蜂的筑巢习性（英文）

柑马蜂Polistes mandarinus在不同的环境中会利用植物材料制作各种不同的蜂巢。我们在2009年5-8月间观察研究了西藏自治区波密县的柑马蜂筑巢习性, 并收集62个蜂巢。柑马蜂利用植物纤维和树脂将它们的巢穴筑于当地居民的木屋檐下。收集的42个在用蜂巢中, 8月末平均拥有79.64±65.28个蜂房, 13.1±10.68个蜂蛹。20个弃用蜂巢中, 平均拥有12.95±3.99个蜂房。8月末, 成功的柑马蜂群拥有约80个个体。研究地的柑马蜂采取3种方式来筑巢, 但以第1种方式最为普遍。第1种筑巢方式筑造的蜂巢以两个蜂房连接巢柄, 结构最为稳定, 所以也应用最广, 后两种筑巢方式筑造的蜂巢均以一个蜂房连接巢柄, 是由于越冬雌蜂在找不到合适的筑巢材料时才采取的建巢方式。     

Revision and cladistic analysis of the eumenine wasp genus Pseudodynerus de Saussure (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Eumeninae)

Abstract.  The eumenine genus Pseudodynerus is revised, and the phylogenetic relationships among its species are reconstructed based on adult morphology. The cladistic analyses of the 21 terminal species (15 ingroup and six outgroup species) and 48 characters, from external morphology and male genitalia, produced one cladogram under equal weights and two under implied weights. The monophyly of Pseudodynerus was corroborated in all three hypotheses, although the internal relationships varied depending on the weighting scheme. Two major clades were recovered under both equal and implied weights, one containing mostly Central and North American species and the other only South American species. The main difference between the hypotheses involves the placement of P. luctuosus , which comes out either as sister to a clade formed by P. hallinani  + ( P. maxillaris  +  P. quadrisectus  +  P. crypticus ) or as sister to a clade comprising the remaining species. Fifteen species of Pseudodynerus are recognized, of which four are described as new: P. crypticus from Costa Rica, P. carpenteri from French Guiana and Suriname, P. obesus from Rondônia, Brazil, and P. singularis from Espírito Santo, Brazil. One new synonymy is proposed: Odynerus ( Odynerus ) aztecus de Saussure, 1857  =  Pseudodynerus quadrisectus ( Say, 1837 ) syn.n. Names treated as varieties by Bequaert (1941) are not recognized at any level herein, as follows: Monobia mina-palumboi Gribodo, 1891 , stat.rev. ; Odynerus ( Leionotus ) beelzebub Zavattari, 1912 , stat.rev. ; Stenodynerus anisitsii garleppi Schrottky, 1911 , stat.rev. ; and Stenodynerus mondaiensis Bertoni, 1918, stat.rev. Lectotypes are designated for Odynerus bellone Lepeletier, 1841 , Odynerus ( Odynerus ) aztecus de Saussure, 1857 and Odynerus ( Stenodynerus ) migonei Bertoni, 1926 .     

The nest structure in four species of solitary wasps of the subfamily Eumeninae (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

Nests of Syneuodynerus egregius, Euodynerus posticus, Ancistrocerus antilope, and A. nigricornis have a similar structure and consist of a linear row of cells separated by transverse partitions made of soil mastic. The number of cells in the nests is 1–11 (5.6 ± 0.8) in S. egregius, 1–7 (2.6 ± 0.2) in E. posticus, 1–10 (4.0 ± 0.7) in A. antilope, and 1–28 (7.9 ± 1.3) in A. nigricornis. Most nests consist of several cells in S. egregius and A. nigricornis and of one or two cells in E. posticus and A. antilope. The female to male ratio is 1.2: 1.0 in E. egregius, 1.5: 1.0 in E. posticus, 1.9: 1.0 in A. antilope, and 1.0: 1.0 in A. nigricornis. The nests of S. egregius usually contain brood of both sexes; those of A. antilope, that of one sex. The sex ratio is correlated with the diameter of the occupied nest cavities only in A. antilope. The volume of the cells with females exceeds that of the cells with males in all the species studied: by 23, 34, 54, and 98% in S. egregius, E. posticus, A. antilope, and A. nigricornis, respectively. The relative difference between the body masses of male and female prepupae is correlated with the relative difference between the volumes of their cells. The nest cells of S. egregius are separated by double partitions consisting of homologs of cell bottoms and lids. In the nests of E. posticus the partitions are single; each cell has a bottom and a lid, with “false cells” being located between them. In the nests of A. antilope and A. nigricornis, the partitions are single but all of them are homologs of the cell bottoms. The nest cells of S. egregius belong to the equilinear type; their length is relatively constant in the cavities of various diameters. The nest cells of A. antilope are of the equivolumetric type: their length is smaller in broad cavities and greater in narrow ones, the cell volume being relatively constant in the cavities of different diameters. The nest cells of E. posticus and A. nigricornis are of the intermediate type. Statistical models of nests reflecting their mean parameters and composition were built. The evolutionarily primitive and progressive features in the nest structure are discussed.     

A phylogenetic investigation of the Neotropical genus Alphamenes van der Vecht, 1977 (Hymenoptera,Vespidae, Eumeninae)

Advances in potter wasp systematics have been achieved recently, with classificatory changes resulting from analyses based upon large scale molecular datasets. For the Neotropics, recent hypotheses point to the occurrence of an exclusive clade recognized within the tribe Eumenini. In this group, several contributions regarding taxonomy and systematics have been proposed in the last five years, including the genus Alphamenes. This taxon contains seven described species whose distribution is exclusively Neotropical. Females are morphologically homogeneous, and characters related to copulatory organs are useful in male diagnosis. This contribution forms the first phylogenetic approach to include all species of Alphamenes, hence the first to strongly test for group monophyly. Our cladistic results recovered Alphamenes as a monophyletic group supported by male genital features. Relationships among included species also rely upon genitalic characters, highlighting the importance of these attributes for eumenine systematics. Recent phylogenetic investigations applied to the Neotropical fauna of potter wasps represent desirable advancements towards a natural classification for the group.     

Taxonomic Review of the Genus Pararrhynchium Saussure (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) from Korea

Korean Pararrhynchium is taxonomically reviewed, resulting in recognition of two species: P. paradoxum paradoxum and P. ornatum bifasciatulum. The latter is new to Korea. Reviewed taxonomic information on the two species is presented, with male characters of P. ornatum bifasciatum hitherto unknown. The past misidentification of P. ornatum in Korea is ascertained.     

Taxonomic Review on the Far Eastern Species of the Genus Discoelius Latreille (Hymenoptera: Eumeninae, Vespidae)

Far eastern species of the genus Discoelius Latreille are taxonomically reviewed. Two species are confirmed: Discoelius zonalis (Panzer) and D. dufourii Lepeletier. Discoelius japonicus originally described from Japan is synonymized under D. zonalis. Discoelius dufourii is newly recorded in Manchuria and Korea. The taxonomic status of D. manchurianus is briefly discussed.     

The nest structure in four wasp species of the genus Euodynerus Dalla Torre (Hymenoptera, Vespidae: Eumeninae)

A comparative analysis of the main parameters of the nest structure and composition in Euodynerus quadrifasciatus, Eu. dantici, Eu. disconotatus, and Eu. velutinus in the Crimea is given. Nests of all the studied species were obtained from trap-nests made of reed stems; the nests of Eu. dantici and Eu. disconotatus were additionally obtained from the abandoned cells of the nests of Sceliphron destillatorium. The nest of Eu. quadrifasciatus consists of a consecutive row of cells, each cell having its own bottom and lid with empty space between them; the nests of three other species consist of an uninterrupted row of cells without spaces, so that the cell bottoms act as partitions. The data on the diameter and length of nest cavities occupied by the studied species, the number of cells in nests, the sex ratio and the length of the cells with prospective females and males are reported. The correlations between the length of the cells and the diameter of the occupied cavities and between the length of the rear empty nest space and vestibule and the length of the occupied nest cavity are analyzed. The structure of cocoons and final nest plugs are described. The difference in the evolution of nest building instincts in members of the subgenera Pareuodynerus and Euodynerus s. str. and the role of adaptation to nest tenantry in the evolution of nest building instincts of Eu. dantici and Eu. disconotatus are discussed.     

Taxonomic review of the genus Symmorphus Wesmael (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) from the Far East

Far Eastern species of the genus Symmorphus Wesmael are taxonomically reviewed. Fourteen species are recognized. Taxonomic information regarding this group that has been treated fragmentarily is summarized in this study. A revised key is presented, and recognition characteristics and images are supplied for each species.     

Nesting Biology of the Bee Hoplitis princeps (Morawitz) (Hymenoptera,Megachilidae) in Crimea

Bionomics of Hoplitis princeps (Morawitz) was studied in Crimea. The species is confined to coastal psammophytic habitats and has one generation per year. Females nest in sand and excavate burrows near roots of various plants. The nests consist of 1 or rarely 2 cells arranged either side by side or one by one; one nest with 3 cells made by two different females was also discovered. The building material was masticated leaves of Astragalus varius subsp. eupatoricus Sytin; the provision was pollen and nectar from the same plant species. The cleptoparasitic bee Stelis aculeata Morawitz was discovered in the nests. The differences in the nest structure between H. princeps and a closely related species H. fulva (Eversmann) are discussed. The need for conservation of the H. princeps habitat in Crimea is substantiated.

     

Biogeographic characteristics of Far Eastern wasps: A case study with eumenine wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae)

A total of 107 forms of 88 eumenine wasp species occurring in the Far East were used to produce a more comprehensive picture of the geographical pattern of wasps in the Far East. All forms occurring in the Far East were biogeographically classified into 22 types in four larger categories, and a summarized table and discussion are presented. The eumenine wasp fauna of the Far East was characterized as a mixture of a fair number of endemic elements, a moderate number of transpalearctic elements, and some Oriental elements. The endemism of the Far East reached 0.71 at the species/subspecies level when the calculation was based on true Palearctic elements occurring in Far Eastern Russia, the Korean peninsula and Japan proper. The relationship between the Far Eastern fauna and the Central/Western Palearctic faunas was also analyzed and discussed. The species occurring in each treated district was counted, and provides evidence for the importance of the Korean fauna in biodiversity evaluation/estimation of Far Eastern fauna. The similarity index between the Korean Peninsula and Japan proper, the Korean Peninsula and the Russian Far East, and the Russian Far East and Japan proper was calculated to explain possible factors for faunal formation in the Far East. The distributional pattern of each form treated in this study and its relatives is tabulated in Appendix I.     

The taxonomic accounts of the genus Symmorphus Wesmael (Hymenoptera,Vespidae, Eumeninae) from China,with descriptions of three new species

In this study, we recognize and review a total of 19 species of the genus Symmorphus Wesmael from China. We also provide a key to these species. Three new species are described and illustrated, namely Symmorphus (Symmorphus) tianchiensis Li & Chen, sp. n., S. (S.) cavatus Li & Chen, sp. n., and S. (S.) nigriclypeus Li & Chen, sp. n. The following four species are newly recorded from China: Symmorphus (S.) fuscipes (Herrich-Schaeffer), S. (S.) lucens (Kostylev), S. (S.) sublaevis Kostylev, and S. (S.) violaceipennis Giordani Soika. In addition, we map the species geographical distributions in China of these 19 species. Type specimens of these three new species are deposited in Chongqing Normal University and Yunnan Agricultural University.