Antepipona exaltata Giordani Soika, 1982

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 : 513-514

7. Antepipona exaltata Giordani Soika, 1982

Antepipona exaltata Giordani Soika 1982: 210 (key), 234, figs 35–36, ♀, Ƌ, “ S. India: Nilgiri Hills , Devala, 3200 ft.” (holotype, ♀, RMNH); Lambert 2004: 558 (key).

Diagnosis. ♀. Outer margin of posterior lobe of tegulae strongly concave, posterior lobe bending towards base, becoming almost vertical, and apex under parategula; parategula straight in apical half; anterior face of pronotum with two cross impressions at middle, surrounded by sparse punctures, absent at middle; mesepisternum with epicnemial carina much less developed than in A. bipustulata ; T1 considerably more elongated than in A. bipustulata ; S2 strongly convex at base, not depressed at middle; punctures and pilosity as that of A. bipustulata .

Colour. Body black, with ventral face of funicles and tarsi brown–ferruginous, more or less dark. Yellow markings: V–shaped mark on mandible; large medially interrupted band at base of clypeus; spot on front; thin line along inner orbit up to ocular sinus, much wider at ocular sinus and extends little upward; long mark at temples; about half of anterior dorsal surface of pronotum; round spot on mesepisternum; tegula, except mark at baseline ferruginous brown, or black; parategula; band on scutellum; most of metanotum; two bands on sides of propodeum; much of outer face of fore and mid femora; outer face of all tibiae; an apical band much enlarged at middle on T1, sometimes joined to two large lateral spots; an apical band almost regular and two large spots on sides at base on T2; spots, often absent, on sides of T3; an apical band on T4; mark on T5 and T6; an apical band on S2; sometimes an apical band on S3 and spots on sides of S4. Wings subhyaline; fore wing with dark infumation on marginal cell.

Ƌ. Clypeus longer than in A. bipustulata , about as wide as long, almost uniformly convex, punctures as that of A. bipustulata ; apical antennal article more delicate, more subtle, than in A. bipustulata , spiniform, regularly arched; mandible and clypeus yellow; stain of front bigger and fully occupies interantennal space; T6 and T7 black. Other characters as that of ♀.

Size (H+M+T1+T2). ♀, 8–8.5 mm; Ƌ, 7–8 mm.

Distribution. India: Tamil Nadu.

Remarks. No material was available for our studies; hence the description was taken from Giordani Soika, 1982.