Antodynerus flavescens flavescens (Fabricius, 1775)

(Figs 1–8)

Vespa flavescens Fabricius 1775: 370, lectotype ♂, “In India Orientali” (UZMC); 1781: 466; 1787: 292; Gmelin 1790: 2756; Christ 1791: 243; Olivier 1792: 691; Fabricius 1793: 275; 1804: 261; Jurine 1807: 170; de Saussure 1853: 265 (unidentified species; “An Odynerus punctum ?”); Dalla Torre 1894: 145 (cat.; unidentified species); Schulz 1912: 82 (types examined: Odynerus spec.; short colour description); van der Vecht 1959: 239 (designation of lectotype).

Ancistrocerus ornatus Smith 1852: 49, ♂, “ Bombay ” (BMNH); junior secondary homonym, nec Odynerus ornatus (de Saussure, 1852), replaced by Odynerus orientalis Dalla Torre, 1889 .

Odynerus “ punctum Fabricius ”: de Saussure, 1853: 209, ♀, pl. 19 fig. 2, “Indes Oientales” (MP) [erroneously regarded as identical to Polistes punctum Fabricius, 1804].

Odynerus punctum: de Saussure, 1855: 243 (considered different from Polistes punctum Fabricius); Smith 1857: 59 (cat.); Horne 1870: 167, ♀, pl. 20 fig. 7, 7a (nests in N.W. Prov. of India in holes in door, posts, etc., prey: green caterpillars, geometers in particular); Smith 1871: 375 (cat.); Dalla Torre 1894: 91 (cat. [excl: “Phillipinae”!]); Bingham 1897: 361 (key), 365, ♀ ♂, fig. 107 (Bengal; Allahabad; Bangalore; Bombay); Cretin 1903: 824 (ethology); Rothney 1903: 107 (Barrackpore, Bengal, “Very Common”); Dalla Torre 1904: 52 (cat. [excl.: “Philippenen”!]); Stebbing 1905: 675, fig. 69 (ethology); Paiva 1907: 15 (N. Bengal: Siliguri); Maxwell-Lefroy, 1909: 213 (observation by Aiyar on nest and prey); Gravely 1915: 493 (ethology); Dover 1921: 387 (Barkuda Is., Chilka Lake, India); Dover & Rao 1922: 239 (India: Calcutta; Siliguri; Purneah Distr.; Lucknow); Dover 1925: 299 (syn.: Odynerus orientalis Dalla Torre = Ancistrocerus ornatus Smith); Begum et al., 1991: 129–136 (nesting behaviour; Bangladesh).

Odynerus ornatus: Smith 1871: 377 (cat.); Bingham 1897: 361 (key), 364 (unidentified species); Cameron 1913: 116 (♀; Dehra Dun); Iwata 1942: 102, 124, 125, 135 (ethology).

Odynerus orientalis Dalla Torre 1889: 125 (replacement name for Odynerus ornatus (Smith, 1852), junior secondary homonym of Odynerus ornatus (de Saussure, 1852) = Leptochilus ornatus de Saussure, 1852); Dalla Torre 1894: 83 (cat.); Dalla Torre 1904: 51 (cat.). Synonymized with Odynerus punctum de Saussure, 1853 by Dover 1925.

Lionotus “ punctum de Saussure ”: Ashmead 1904a: 8 (cat.; Manila); Brown 1906: 688 (Philippines).

Leionotus “ punctum de Saussure ”: Ashmead 1904b: 133, 152 (Phillipines).

Odynerus flavescens: Schulz 1912: 82 (types examined), 100 (list).

Odynerus goanus Sonan 1938: 261, ♀, fig. 2, 3, “ Goa, India ” (ZMB).

Odynerus punctum var. orientalis: Giordani Soika 1941: 260 (in subgenus Rhynchium; syns.: Ancistrocerus ornatus Smith, Odynerus goanus Sonan).

Antodynerus flavescens: van der Vecht 1959: 238, fig. 2 (a, c, e, f, i-l) (redescription of type; India); 1967: 31, 32 (proposal to place on Official List); ICZN 1970: 189 (placed on Official List); Jayakar & Spurway 1965: 662 (ethology in India; Bhubaneswar); Baltazar 1966: 303 (Philippines record erroneous); van der Vecht & Fischer, 1972: 82 (cat.; not in Palaearctic Region).

Diagnosis. Female. Clypeus with moderately deep punctures on middle, diameter of punctures as wide as distance between punctures; frons sparsely punctured; ocellar area almost smooth without punctures; vertex with moderately strong punctures except at middle and area towards occipital carina; median area of propodeum slightly concave, with a narrowly elongate fovea from which median carina runs to orifice with few weak transverse striations posteriorly; postero-lateral margin almost entirely rounded without a strong transversely carinate projection, area near to valvula with weak transverse striations; T1 1.64 as wide as long, 0.87 × as wide as T 2 in dorsal view. Male. Clypeus, frons, ocellar area and median area almost smooth; genitalia as in Fig. 8.

Material examined. INDIA. Andhra Pradesh, East Godavari distr., Rajahmundry, 1♀ 20.x.1998, Coll. S.P. Chakraborty & Party, NZC No. 14128/H3. Assam: Guwahati, Gauhati University Campus, 1♀ 10.xii.2011, Coll. S. Neli, NZC No. 14129/H3. Bihar: Katihar distr., Bhogaon, 2♀ & 1♂ 6.x.1908, Coll. C.A. Paiva, NZC Nos. 14130/ H3–14132/H3. Chhattisgarh: Kabirdham distr., Palak, 1♀ 28.viii.2011, Coll. Sunil & Party, NZC No. 14133/H3; Raipur distr., Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary, near Parbatiya Waterfalls, 1♀, 1♂ 7.xi.2011, Coll. Sunil & Party, NZC Nos. 14134/H3 & 14135/H3. Delhi: Delhi University Campus, 1♀ 25.v.1969, Coll. V.K. Gupta & Party, NZC No. 14136/H3. Gujarat: Vadodara, 1♀ 25.viii.1912, Coll. S.P.A., NZC No. 358/H3. Kerala: Thrissur distr., Chalakkudy, 1♀ 14.ix.1914, Coll. F.H. Gravely, NZC No. 351/H3. Manipur: Bishnupur distr., Moirang, 1♂ 6.x.1976, Coll. Tyagi, NZC No. 14137/H3. Odisha: Gopkuda Island, Chilka lake, 1♂ 14.viii.1907, Museum Collection, NZC No. 347/H3; Barkuda Island, Chilka lake, 1♀ 18.vii.1916, Coll. F.H. Gravely, NZC No. 14138/ H3; Mayurbhanj distr., Bangriposi, 1♀ 14.ix.1972, Coll. K. Rai & Party, NZC No. 14139/H3. Pondicherry (= Puducherry): Kurumbagarum, Karikal [= Karaikal] Terr., 1♀ v.1950 [AMNH]; Nedungadu, 1♂ 30.v, Coll. P.S. Nathan [AMNH]. Tamil Nadu: Coimbatore, 2♂ September 1963, NZC Nos. 14140/H3 & 14141/H3. Uttarakhand: Haridwar distr., Chandighat, 1♂ 6.ix.2002, Coll. S.K. Mondal & Party, NZC Nos. 14142/H3. Uttar Pradesh: Agra, 1♀ 30.vii.1905, Coll. Brunetti, NZC No. 357/H3; Lucknow, 1♀ 7.ix.1905, Coll. Brunetti, NZC Nos. 14143/H3; Bahraich distr., Risia, 1♂ 11.ix.2006, Coll. S.I. Kazmi & Party, NZC No. 14144/H3; Lakhimpur Kheri distr., Gokan, 1♂ 15.ix.2006, Coll. S.I. Kazmi & Party, NZC No. 14145/H3; Rampur distr., Bhot, 1♀ 18.ix.2006, Coll. S.I. Kazmi & Party, NZC No. 14146/H3. West Bengal: Kolkata, 3♀, 2♂, NZC Nos. 14147/H3–14151/H3; Kolkata environs, 1♀ 20.x.1904, Coll. Brunetti, NZC No. 14152/H3; Kolkata, 3♀ 23.v.1907, Museum Collection, NZC Nos. 14153/H3–14155/H3; Kolkata distr., Southern Avenue, 2♀ & 1♂ 23.vii.2010 & 18.viii.2010, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, NZC Nos. 14156/H3–14158/H3; Howrah distr., Indian Botanical Garden, 1♂ 28.vi.1965, Coll. P. Parui & Party, NZC No. 14159/H3; Howrah distr., Indian Botanical Garden, 1♂ 10.iii.1986, Coll. S. Ghosh & Party, NZC No. 14160/H3; S-24 Parganas distr., Sunderbans, Sagar Island, 1♀ 17.vi.1977, Coll. R.C. Basu & Party, NZC No. 14161/H3; Purulia distr., Adra, 1♀ 12.x.1909, Coll. J.T. Jenkins, NZC No. 14162/H3; Nadia distr., Krishnanagar, 1♀ 13.viii.1965, Coll. S.P. Chakraborty & Party, NZC No. 14163/H3; Malda distr., Haldibari, 1♀ 16.vii.1986, Coll. M.S. Shishodia & Party, NZC No. 14164/H3; Darjeeling distr., Siliguri, 1♀ 29.vi.1906, NZC No. 14165/H3; Parganas distr., Kanchrapara, 1♀ 25.vi.1944, Coll. M.A. Cazier [AMNH].

Distribution. India (*Andhra Pradesh, *Assam, Bihar, *Chhattisgarh, *Delhi, Goa, *Gujarat, Karnataka, *Kerala, Maharashtra, *Manipur, Odisha, * Pondicherry, *Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal), Bangladesh.