Eumenes (Eumenes) quadratus quadratus Smith, 1852

Li, Ting-Jing, Barthelemy, Christophe & Carpenter, James M., 2019, The Eumeninae (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) of Hong Kong (China), with description of two new species, two new synonymies and a key to the known taxa, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 72, pp. 127-176 : 127

(5) Eumenes (Eumenes) quadratus quadratus Smith, 1852

Figs 12-14 , 15-20 , 134

Eumenes quadratus Smith, 1852: 37, "near Ning-po-foo" (China), NHMUK. Lectotype: female.

Eumenes quadratus obsoletus Dover, 1926: 233, female, "Hong Kong", Type depositary unknown, specimen lost. Syn. nov.

Material examined.

CHINA: Hong Kong : 1♀, Pak Sha O, hand net, 20.vi.2006, 50Q KK 242 849, 70m, ref.: 0199. A.Hy. 1, leg. C. Barthélémy [AMNH] ; 3♀, Mang Kung Wo , hand net, 17.vii.2012, 22.v.2016 & 28.iv.2018, UTM: 50Q KK 174 760, 60m, refs.: 0477. A.Hy. 1, 0597. A.Hy. 1 & 0650.A. Hy. 1 [CBC] ; 1♂, Mang Kung Wo , hand net, 23.iv.2016, same UTM references, refs.: 0597. A.Hy. 1 [CBC] ; 1♀, Ping Shan Chai , Malaise trap, 30.vii.-03.ix.2015, UTM: 50Q KK 106 893, 140m, ref.: M258. D.Hy. 2 [AMNH] .

Distribution.

China (Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai); Laos; Vietnam.

Remarks.

Dover (1926) listed Eumens quadratus var. obsoletus from Hong Kong, however, as he recognized himself the justification for this new subspecies lied in the distinct color difference albeit identical structural features between his subspecies and the nominate type species deposited in NHMUK. In our collected material we can recognize at least three color forms of the same species (figs 14-20), these variations are particularly notable on the face, pronotum and T1-T2; the darker form; basis of Dover’s new subspecies, is less common locally than the distinctly marked one. Given the identical structural characters of the various colors forms and the evidence presented by Dover, we propose to synonymise Eumenes quadratus obsoletus Dover, 1926 with E. quadratus quadratus Smith, 1852. It is a common wasp in Hong Kong and has Palearctic affinities. Dissected cells were mass-provisioned with caterpillars in the family Erebidae (CB pers. obs., det. Dr. Roger Kendrick, Hong Kong)

Figures

Figures 1 - 14. Delta campaniforme campaniforme, female 1 habitus (lateral view) 2 habitus (dorsal view) 3 head (frontal view) 4 - 6 Delta pyriforme, female 4 habitus (lateral view) 5 habitus (dorsal view) 6 head (frontal view) 7 - 11 Eumenes punctatus, female 7 habitus (lateral view) 8 habitus (dorsal view) 9 head (frontal view) 10 - 11 variation of face markings 12 - 14 Eumenes quadratus quadratus, female 12 habitus (lateral view) 13 habitus (dorsal view) 14 head (frontal view).

Figures 15 - 29. Eumenes quadratus quadratus, female 15 - 17 variations of face markings 18 - 20 variations of T 1 & T 2 markings 21 - 23 Eumenes rubronatus, female 21 habitus (lateral view) 22 habitus (dorsal view) 23 head (frontal view) 24 - 26 Oreumenes decoratus, female 24 habitus (lateral view) 25 habitus (dorsal view) 26 head (frontal view) 27 - 29 Phimenes flavopictus flavopictus, female 27 habitus (lateral view) 28 habitus (dorsal view) 29 head (frontal view).

Figures 132 - 138. Eumenes punctatus 132 female collecting construction material 133 group of cells on a branch of Rosemary 134 Eumenes quadratus quadratus 134 female completing a brood cell 135 - 138 Allorhynchium chinense 135 female at nest building the resin collar at the entrance 136 typical nest in a bamboo segment showing two cells. The first cell with post feeding larva, the second cell with feeding larva with prey, cell un-closed 137 a pupa 138 cocoon of a Chrysididae inside a nest.