Scolia (Discolia) binotata Fabricius, 1804

Figs 3A–B, 8A–B, 10D, 12A–B, 14D, 16A–B, 18D, 20A–B, 22D, 24A–B, 26D, 28A–B, 30D, 32A–B, 34D, 36A–B, 38D, 39K, 40K, 41K, 42K

Scolia binotata Fabricius, 1804: 244 (holotype ZMUC, ♂, type locality = “Tranquebariae” [southwestern coast of India]).

Scolia bipunctata Klug, 1805: 36 (holotype ♂, type locality = “aus Ostindien”).

Scolia (Discolia) humeralis de Saussure & Sichel, 1864: 321 (holotype NHMW, ♂, type locality = Singapore).

Scolia quadripustulata var. humeralis subvar. bipustulata Magretti, 1892: 241 (unavailable infrasubspecific name).

Scolia quadripustulata subvar. sexpustulata Magretti, 1892: 242 (unavailable infrasubspecific name).

Scolia barmanica Magretti, 1892: 242 (syntypes ♀, type locality = Yangon, Myanmar).

Scolia cucullata Bingham, 1897: 82 (syntypes NHMUK, ♀♀, type localities = Sikkim and Bengal, India).

Scolia (Scolia) quadripustulata formosensis Betrem, 1928: 316 (type localities = China, Taiwan, Japan).

Scolia (Scolia) quadripustulata kanasarensis Betrem, 1928: 318 (holotype ♂, type locality = Kanaser Range, Uttarakhand, India).

Scolia (Scolia) quadripustulata f. sexpustulata Uchida, 1934: 247 (holotype ♀, type locality = Changhua, Taiwan; preoccupied by Scolia sexpustulata Klug, 1805).

Scolia (Scolia) quadripustulata var. uchidai Betrem, 1941: 156 (intended as replacement name for S. quadripustulata f. sexpustulata Uchida, 1934; unavailable infrasubspecific name).

Scolia (Scolia) quadripustulata birmanica var. octopustulata Betrem, 1941: 157 (unavailable infasubspecific name).

Scolia burmanica – Dalla Torre 1897: 150 (lapsus for S. barmanica).

Scolia quadripustulata var. binotata – Bingham 1908: 352.

Scolia (Scolia) quadripustulata (Fabricius, 1782) – Betrem 1928: 314.

Scolia (Scolia) quadripustulata var. bipunctata – Betrem 1928: 316.

Scolia (Scolia) quadripustulata humeralis – Betrem 1928: 316.

Scolia (Scolia) quadripustulata barmanica – Betrem 1928: 317.

Scolia (Scolia) quadripustulata barmanica var. bipustulata – Betrem 1928: 318.

Scolia (Discolia) quadripustulata var. bipunctata – Guiglia 1965: 322.

Scolia (Discolia) quadripustulata formosensis – Tsuneki 1972: 39.

Scolia (Discolia) binotata – Krombein 1978: 41.

Material examined

CHINA – Hong Kong • 1♀; Lau Fau Shan; Jun. 1970; A. Sommerville leg.; HKBM • 1 ♀; no data; HKBM • 1 ♀; New Territories; May–Jul. 2018; C. Taylor and Cheung Shun Chi leg.; Malaise trap; HKBM • 1 ♂; Tai Lung Farm, Sheung Shui; 18 May 1982; R. Winney leg.; TLFES • 1 ♂; no label; TLFES • 1 ♂; Che Keng Tuk; 22°22.324′ N, 114°15.910′ E; 30 m; 3 Aug. 2005; John X.Q. Lee leg.; hand net, ref.: 0684.N.Hy.1; CBC .

Description

Female

STANDARD RATIOS (n = 3). L: 14.8–17.4 mm (mean = 16.4 mm); CR: 1.14–1.18 (mean = 1.16); OOR: 0.61–0.76 (mean = 0.70); CLR: 0.35–0.40 (mean = 0.38); MER: 1.22–1.36 (mean = 1.30); OMR: 1.03– 1.11 (mean = 1.08); FRR: 2.19–2.36 (mean = 2.26); MSR: 0.78–0.81 (mean = 0.79); TER: 1.41–1.74 (mean = 1.62).

HEAD. Head sparsely punctate to impunctate except densely punctate on lateral margins of frontal spatium and on scrobe (Fig. 16A–B).

MESOSOMA. Scapula, mesoscutum and scutellum in large part sparsely punctate to impunctate, mesoscutum and scutellum each more densely punctate near anterior margin (Fig. 24A–B); metanotum moderately punctate medially, densely punctate laterally (Fig. 28A–B); dorsomedian area of propodeum densely punctate, dorsolateral area largely impunctate except moderately punctate laterally (Fig. 28A– B). Mesopleuron densely punctate medially, broadly impunctate anteriorly and posteriorly; metapleuron largely impunctate except with small, effused punctures anteroventrally; lateral panel of propodeum largely impunctate anteriorly, moderately punctate posteriorly. Scutellum and metanotum without median longitudinal carina (Fig. 28A). Dorso-median area of propodeum without distinct tubercule medially (Fig. 28A).

METASOMA. Metasoma with no obvious angle between anterior and ventral faces of S 2 in lateral view (Fig. 32A–B); tergites sparsely punctate discally, more densely punctate anteriorly and posteriorly (Fig. 36A–B). T1 with weak tubercle at angle between anterior and dorsal faces (Fig. 36A). T2 with basal elevation weekly developed (gradulus) (Fig. 36A).

WINGS. Fore wing with two submarginal cells and one recurrent vein. Fore wing galbrous except along the costal vein being dense setae.

COLOUR AND VESTITURE. Black form; integument mostly black except following orange (Figs 8A, 12A): metasoma with large lateral spots on T3–T4 (Figs 8A, 36A). Orange form; Head mostly red except large black maculation on frons covering ocellar triangle and reaching eye margins, frontal spatium and clypeus black (Figs 16B, 20B). Mesosoma entirely black; metasoma black except large lateral orange spots on T2–T5 (Fig. 36B). In both forms vestiture white on head (Fig. 16A–B), largely black on mesosoma with white vestiture laterally and ventrally, interspersed black and white vestiture on metasoma (Fig. 36A–B); wings dark brown with purple reflections.

Male

STANDARD RATIO (n = 3). L: 11.8–14.4 mm (mean = 13.4 mm); CR: 1.13–1.14 (mean = 1.13); OOR: 1.33–1.73 (mean = 1.52); CLR: 0.58–0.71 (mean = 0.66); MER: 1.28–1.39 (mean = 1.32); OMR: 0.97– 1.04 (mean = 0.99); FRR: 2.0–2.29 (mean = 2.15); MSR: 0.77–0.80 (mean = 0.79); TER: 1.52–1.72 (mean = 1.62).

HEAD. Head mostly moderately punctate, densely punctate on frontal spatium (Fig. 18D).

MESOSOMA. Dorsum of mesosoma more heavily punctate than female but punctures on mesoscutum more widely spaced posteromedially than marginally, many medial punctures on mesoscutum separated by about their own diameter (Fig. 26D); dorsolateral area of propodeum largely impunctate in anterior half (Fig. 30D). Mesopleuron and metapleuron as in female; lateral panel of propodeum moderately punctate.

METASOMA. Metasomal tergites uniformly and moderately punctate (Figs 34D, 38D).

WINGS. Same as female.

COLOUR AND VESTITURE. Only black form examined. Integument black except following orange (Figs 10D, 14D): inner part of ocular sinus, line behind upper lobe of eye; scapula; large paired lateral spots on T3 and T4 (Fig. 14D). Vestiture mostly white (Figs 10D, 18D), black on much of dorsum of mesosoma (except on pronotum and anterior of mesoscutum) (Fig. 26D) and on apical fringes and laterally on metasoma (always white on orange areas of integument).

GENITALIA. Ventral side of paramere mostly glabrous, a few setae on the lateral side (Fig. 42K), dorsal side with sparse long setae on most of its surface (Figs 39K, 41K); volsella and cuspis volsellaris with sparse setae on entire surfaces (Fig. 39K); volsella bearing sparse sensory cones basally on the external margin, no lamella on its internal margin. External margin of paramere uniformly rounded, broadly rounded apically, (Figs 39K, 40K); cuspis volsellaris acute apically (Fig. 40K); aedeagus with eight teeth, serrated margin convex apically, concave basally (Fig. 42K).

Distribution (Fig. 3A–B)

China (Anhui, Beijing, Fujian, Hong Kong, Jiangsu, Jilin, Shandong, Shanghai, Sichuan, Taiwan, Zhejiang); India (Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam); Sri Lanka; Japan (Okinawa); Bhutan; Myanmar (Pegu Hills, Rangoon, Tenasserim); Malaysia (Malacca, Pahang); Laos; Vietnam (South and North [Cochinchina and Tonkin]; Singapore. [Betrem 1928; Uchida 1934; Krombein 1978; Gupta & Jonathan 2003; Kumar & Pham 2015; Nidup et al. 2017; Liu et al. 2021b].

Notes

This species is extremely variable in coloration according to Betrem (1941) and Krombein (1978): in both sexes, the head, scapulae and metasomal tergites may be marked with red or entirely black. Scolia binotata is therefore most reliably distinguished from its congeners in Hong Kong by its sparsely punctate mesoscutum which is broadly impunctate medially in the female and has most punctures separated by about their own diameter in the male (in other species of Scolia the mesoscutal punctures are more uniform and closely placed).

Scolia binotata has a history of being confused with S. quadripustulata Fabricius 1782 and specimens from Hong Kong were described by Betrem (1941) under the latter name. True S. quadripustulata, which may not occur outside the Indian subcontinent, differs from S. binotata in having the dorsum of the mesosoma more extensively punctate and hairs on the head mostly black rather than white (Krombein 1978; Gupta & Jonathan 2003). Subspecies and infrasubspecific varieties recognised by Betrem (1941) to represent colour variants are not geographically distinct and hence probably not worthy of recognition. These include Scolia sexpustulata Klug, 1805, Scolia humeralis de Saussure in de Saussure & Sichel, 1864 and Scolia quadripustulata birmanica var. octopustulata Betrem, 1941, specifically used to refer to variants recorded from Hong Kong.