taxonID	type	description	language	source
5F7987D6FFB5B070FF51F111FAE367AA.taxon	description	(Figs 1 A – E)	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB5B070FF51F111FAE367AA.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined. SOLOMON ISLANDS: Santa Ysabel, Tatamba, 10. VI. 1960, leg. C. W. O’Brien, 1 ♀ (MSNVE, paratype).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB5B070FF51F111FAE367AA.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Solomon Islands (Giordani Soika 1994) (Fig. 13).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB5B075FF51F685FB0867CA.taxon	description	(Figs 1 F – J)	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB5B075FF51F685FB0867CA.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. Epsilon bertschi sp. nov. can be recognized among the species of Epsilon occurring in the Malay Archipelago by the following combination of characters: apical margin of clypeus subtruncate and 0.25 × as wide as width of clypeus (Fig. 1 G), vertex 1.6 × as long as ocellocular distance and gena 0.45 × as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus (Fig. 1 I), ocelli not reduced with distance between anterior and lateral ocelli equal to ocellar diameter, metanotum with dorsal face sharply delimited posteriorly (Fig. 1 H), apical lamella of T 2 very short and leaving a long portion of the apical margin visible on sides (Fig. 1 J), mesosoma densely and coarsely punctate with interspaces forming a sharp and narrow reticulation (Fig. 1 H – I), metasoma strongly matte due to very dense microsculpture and pubescence (Fig. 1 J). Additionally, Epsilon bertschi sp. nov. can be immediately recognized by its pattern with orange markings, red base of antenna and legs ferruginous-red from the middle of the femora (Fig. 1 F). Due to the narrow apical margin of the clypeus, Epsilon bertschi sp. nov. would fall close to some other species occurring in the Malay Archipelago: Epsilon achterbergi Giordani Soika, E. incola Giordani Soika, E. latefasciatum sp. nov. and E. manifestum (Smith). The length of the apical lamella of T 2 permits an immediate distinction from E. latefasciatum sp. nov. and E. manifestum, as these two species present a long and thickened lamella with ventrally curved apex (Figs 6 E, 7 G – H), whereas in E. bertschi sp. nov. the lamella is very short and barely distinguished from the rest of the tergite (Fig. 1 J). From E. achterbergi and E. incola, E. bertschi sp. nov. can be recognized by the slightly wider apical margin of the clypeus which is 0.25 × as wide as the clypeus (Fig. 1 G), the densely and coarsely punctate mesosoma with narrow interspaces (Figs 1 H – I), the sharply margined and coarsely punctate dorsal face of metanotum (Fig. 1 H), and the densely pubescent metasoma (Fig. 1 J), in addition to the orange and red instead of pale or bright yellow markings (Fig. 1 F).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB5B075FF51F685FB0867CA.taxon	materials_examined	Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♀ labelled “ Indonesia, Lesser Sundas, Sumba / Island, Lewa env. Local collector leg. / II. 2019 // Epsilon bertschi / HOLOTYPUS ♀ / Det. Marco Selis 2026 [red label] ” (MSNVE).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB5B075FF51F685FB0867CA.taxon	description	Description. Female holotype, habitus in Fig. 1 F. Body length 8.5 mm; fore wing length 7.5 mm. Head 1.3 × as wide as high (Fig. 1 G). Clypeus in frontal view 1.25 × as wide as long, apical margin subtruncate and 0.25 × as wide as clypeus, shallowly reflexed, apical teeth obtusely angled with rounded apex, basal margin very weakly sinuate, nearly entirely horizontal, free apical part of clypeus about as long as interocular basal part (Fig. 1 G); clypeus in lateral view weakly and evenly convex, except for shallowly reflexed apex. Interantennal space with two pits delimiting a sharp median longitudinal carina. Vertex 1.6 × as long as ocellocular distance and 3.2 × as long as ocellar diameter, convex and strongly sloping, with occipital carina placed well below level of ocellar triangle; ocelli placed in an obtuse triangle, distance between lateral and anterior ocelli equal to transverse diameter of anterior ocellus; cephalic foveae placed in a small but deep V-shaped pit, posterolaterally margined by sharp elevations of the posterior margin, much closer to ocellar triangle than to occipital margin. Gena 0.45 × as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus, flattened in ventral half and with a longitudinal blunt ridge on dorsal half (Fig. 1 I); occipital carina complete and sharp, preceded by a shallow crenate furrow, carina short on vertex and becoming longer and lamellate on gena. Flagellum short and thickening from base to apex, F 1 1.25 × as long as wide and 1.2 × as long as F 2, F 2 slightly longer than wide, F 3 – F 4 subquadrate, F 5 – F 9 transverse and becoming progressively wider and shorter. Mesosoma 1.05 × as long as wide, squat-bodied (Fig. 1 H). Pronotum short, sides weakly convex and converging anteriorly, very shallowly sinuate behind humeri; pronotal carina complete, very shortly lamellate and hyaline on dorsal face, becoming thicker and longer on lateral faces, rounded on humeri and shallowly sinuate below them; pretegular carina complete and sharp; anterior face of pronotum with a shallow transverse depression in the middle. Mesoscutum 1.2 × as wide as long, with very faint indications of notauli on posterior margin. Scutellum wider than long, almost flattened on disc with very shallow indication of median longitudinal furrow, anterior and posterior margins crenate with larger median pit; axillary fossa small and elliptical, longer than wide, narrower than one ocellar diameter. Metanotum divided into two faces, dorsal face horizontal and subrectangular, 2.5 × as wide as long, posterior face nearly vertical and transversely convex; lateral longitudinal carinae of metanotum high and sharp; margin between dorsal and posterior faces sharp and crenate. Tegula longer than wide, outer margin strongly convex, posterior lobe sharply triangular and short, equaling apex of parategula; parategula flat and wide, abruptly bent near middle and with pointed apex. Mesepisternum strongly convex, furrows wide and shallowly crenate; epimeron sharply raised ventrally; epicnemial carina sharp but low, reaching episternal furrow above and meeting contralateral on mesosternum just in front of mid coxae. Propodeum short and vertically falling below metanotum; dorsal faces of propodeum weakly convex and widely spaced behind metanotum, weakly separated from posterior faces; lateral faces of propodeum very shallowly depressed, clearly separated from other faces but transitions not sharp, rounded; posterior face of propodeum wide and very shallowly depressed, lateral parts flattened and angularly meeting on median line, with two deep pits above submarginal carina, median line sharply carinate and dorsally smoothly passing into a large subtriangular sclerite; submarginal carina of propodeum produced in a short and rounded subtriangular lobe, valvula entirely fused with carina and with shallowly sinuate posterior margin. T 1 in dorsal view semicircular, 2.2 × as wide as medially long; T 1 in lateral view with a vertical face dorsally curving into a horizontal posterior face; apical margin of T 1 with narrow hyaline lamellate border, shallowly depressed (Fig. 1 J). T 2 in dorsal view subquadrate with convex sides, slightly wider than T 1; apical area of T 2 duplicated, with preapical ridge forming a very short hyaline lamella in continuity with the disc of the tergite and covering the true apical margin of the tergite for most of the width, progressively shortening laterally and uncovering the true apical margin (Fig. 1 J). S 2 evenly convex in lateral view, basally with a shallow subtriangular depression reaching the middle of the sternite, apical margin translucent. Clypeus with deep rounded punctures becoming more oblique ventrally, interspaces sparsely micropunctate and as wide as 1 – 2 puncture diameters; frons with dense flat-bottomed punctures separated by narrow and sharp interspaces, looking like polygonal cells; vertex with deep punctures separated by wide shiny interspaces; gena mostly smooth in dorsal half with punctures along eye margin only, more extensively punctate in ventral half. Mesosoma with dense deep punctures, separated by raised interspaces mostly narrower than puncture diameter; lateral faces of pronotum more densely punctate, interspaces sharp and ridge-like; metanotum with dorsal face very coarsely punctate, interspaces reduced to sharp ridges, and posterior face mostly smooth with few punctures in dorsal half; tegula finely micropunctate and shiny; mesepisternum with punctures larger and shallower, forming polygonal cells similarly to frons, arranged in irregular series on dorsal plate; metaepisternum largely impunctate and finely shagreened, with a series of coarse punctures along the anterior margin; dorsal faces of propodeum with polygonal cells similar to mesepisternum, but interspaces sharper and higher; lateral faces of propodeum anteriorly striate and posteriorly with smaller polygonal cells; posterior face of propodeum very finely and sparsely shagreened, strongly shiny, with few weakly visible punctures on disc and some deep punctures along dorsal margin. T 1 with small deep punctures, denser on base of posterior horizontal face and becoming sparser apically, disappearing before reaching apical margin, interspaces variable but generally much wider than punctures; T 2 similar to T 1, but punctures slightly larger and becoming deeper and denser on sides, denser near apex; T 3 – T 5 micropunctate with fine deep punctures, micropunctures becoming denser and macropunctures disappearing from T 3 to T 5; T 6 finely micropunctate with shagreened interspaces; S 1 with smooth and shiny basal stalk, matte and sparsely striate on widened posterior part; S 2 with large deep punctures, much more evident than punctures on T 2, interspaces shiny and variable, as wide as several puncture diameters on basal depression and becoming as wide as one puncture diameter apically; S 3 – S 6 similar to respective tergites, but micropunctation more evident and punctures finer and sparser. Head and mesosoma with short and sparse pale metallic pubescence, denser on clypeus, vertex and mesepisternum, and sparse erect setae about as long as one ocellar diameter, shorter on clypeus; metaepisternum and dorsal and lateral faces of propodeum with dust-like pale pubescence, posterolateral corners of propodeum with dense and fine erect setae; posterior face of propodeum without pubescence and bearing sparse downward pointing long setae; metasoma with dense and dust-like dark pubescence and scattered very short oblique setae. Black; following parts yellowish-orange to deep orange: laterally widened basal band on clypeus, short line along ventral margin of ocular sinus, longitudinal line on gena behind dorsal lobe of eye, anterior band on pronotum narrowly interrupted medially and widened laterally, tegula, parategula, dorsal half of metanotum, projection of submarginal carina of propodeum, apical band on T 1 narrowly incised medially and slightly expanded on sides of mid-line, wide apical band on T 2 with small subtriangular median incision, bisinuate and medially interrupted apical band on S 2; scape, pedicel and basal half of F 1 ferruginous; mid and hind coxae with suffused and ill-defined red markings on posterolateral margin; legs basally black and orange-red from middle of femora, with apex of femora brighter. Wings tinged with brown, especially along costal margin, and with brassy reflections becoming purplish in marginal cell. Male. Unknown.	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB5B075FF51F685FB0867CA.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Indonesia: Sumba (Fig. 13).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB5B075FF51F685FB0867CA.taxon	etymology	Etymology. The species is named after Leander Bertsch (Germany), who provided the holotype of the new species among other unidentified Vespidae.	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB0B075FF51F778FDF06469.taxon	description	(Fig. 2)	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB0B075FF51F778FDF06469.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined. INDONESIA: N. E. Sulawesi, 47 km WSW of Kotamobagu, Dumoga-Bone NP, Toraut, 211 m, V. 1985, leg. G. R. Else, 1 ♀ (OLML- 0001 - 0797, paratype).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB0B075FF51F778FDF06469.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Indonesia: Sulawesi (Gusenleitner 1991; Giordani Soika 1993 b, 1994) (Fig. 13). Notes. Gusenleitner (1991) described the taxon crassipunctatum as a subspecies of Epsilon manifestum endemic to Sulawesi, providing a comparative table of the diagnostic characters differentiating the two subspecies, focusing on sculpture of clypeus and tergites, pattern, and length of the lamella of T 2. The examination of one paratype of E. manifestum crassipunctatum and the comparison between the two subspecies revealed in fact further differences, most notably crassipunctatum having strongly reduced and widely spaced ocelli (Fig. 2 C), which would place this taxon closer to the Philippine endemic E. dyscherum. Given the important morphological differences, Epsilon crassipunctatum stat. nov. is considered a distinct species, more closely related to E. dyscherum than to E. manifestum. The differences from E. dyscherum are summarized in the key to the species.	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB1B076FF51F762FD94618A.taxon	description	(Figs 3, 12 A)	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB1B076FF51F762FD94618A.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined. PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: Batangas, Bauan, San Pedro, 1 – 2. VI. 2004, leg. C. Pangantihon, 1 ♂ (MSVI); Camarines Sur, Lupi, Sooc, 28. IV – 1. V. 2004, leg. C. Pangantihon, 1 ♀ (MSVI); Laguna, Liliw, VII – IX. 1980, leg. M. Wilson, 1 ♀ (MSNVE); Laguna, Los Banos, University of the Philippines, 13. V. 1980, leg. J. Kojima, 1 ♂ (MSNVE); Leyte, Palo, 23. VI. 1980, leg. J. Kojima, 1 ♂ (MSNVE); Luzon, Catanduanes, Pandan, VII. 2016, 1 ♀ (MSVI); Luzon, Ifugao, Banaue, VI. 2015, 1 ♀ (MSVI); Luzon, Limay, III. 1914, leg. Böttcher, 1 ♀ (MSNVE, syntype of Odynerus chartergoides); Mindanao, Agusan, Sibagat, VI. 2016, 1 ♂ (MSVI); Mindanao, Butuan, leg. Baker, 1 ♀ (OLML); Mindanao, Compostela, Masara, X. 2014, 1 ♀ (MSVI); Mindanao, Kolambugan, 1 ♀ (MSNVE, syntype of Odynerus chartergoides); Mindanao, Mizamis, Balingasag, VIII. 2014, 4 ♂ 3 ♀ (MSVI); Mindanao, Zamboanga, Gutalac, VI. 2015, 1 ♂ (MSVI); Tawi-Tawi, Tarawakan, north of Batu Batu, 25. X. 1961, leg. Noona Dan Expedition, 1 ♀ (MSNVE); Visayas, Negros Oriental, VII. 2013, 1 ♀ (MSVI).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB1B076FF51F762FD94618A.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Philippine Islands: Leyte, Luzon, Mindanao, Negros, Samar, Sibuyan, Tawi-Tawi (de Saussure 1852; Ashmead 1905; Williams 1928; von Schulthess 1934; van der Vecht 1937; Baltazar 1966; Giordani Soika 1986, 1993 a, 1994; Gusenleitner 1996; Selis 2015, 2017) (Fig. 13).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB1B076FF51F762FD94618A.taxon	discussion	Notes. Gusenleitner (1996) described Epsilon grandipunctatum based on a single male specimen from Leyte, differentiating it from E. dyscherum by the coarser punctures on vertex and mesosoma and the dorsally ridged median ocellus. Examination of more extensive material revealed how males of most Epsilon species have a generally coarser sculpture when compared to females, and the ridge of the median ocellus is highly variable in specimens of E. dyscherum from the whole Philippine Islands. The diagnostic characters provided by Gusenleitner (1996) are therefore referable to variability and sexual dimorphism, making E. grandipunctatum syn. nov. a junior synonym of E. dyscherum. Epsilon dyscherum exhibits a north-south cline within the Philippine Islands, with specimens from Luzon exhibiting a T 2 sculpturing composed of very fine and sparse punctures (Fig. 3 F), gradually becoming coarser and denser on the southern islands, such as Mindanao (Fig. 3 G). This is particularly evident in specimens from Tawi-Tawi, one of the southernmost islands of the archipelago, where the punctures on T 2 are particularly dense and coarse, resembling those of the related E. crassipunctatum but remaining finer and sparser (Fig. 3 H). The differences in sculpture between the various populations appear to be gradual and not associated with other differences, so these forms are all considered part of the variability of a single species. Li et al. (2019) recorded Epsilon dyscherum from Hong Kong based on a single female specimen. Based on the photos provided by Li et al. (2019) it is evident that the photographed specimen cannot belong to E. dyscherum due to several reasons, in particular the ocelli of usual diameter, and not markedly reduced and spaced as observed in E. dyscherum. The pattern and morphology of the specimen, in particular the strongly reduced pale pattern with entirely black legs, and the coarse and dense punctures of the clypeus, indicate that the specimen is ascribable to Epsilon fujianense Lee, 1981, a species widely distributed in southeastern China and adjacent regions. Epsilon dyscherum is therefore excluded from the fauna of Hong Kong and remains a Philippine endemic.	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB3B076FF51F0A5FAC760D2.taxon	description	(Fig. 4)	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB3B076FF51F0A5FAC760D2.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined. HOLOTYPE OF EPSILON INCOLA: ♀ labelled “ Neu-Guinea / Finschhafen 1891 / Coll. Fruhstorfer // HOLOTYPUS [red label] // Epsilon / incola n. sp. / Giordani Soika det. 198 ” (MSNVE).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB3B076FF51F0A5FAC760D2.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Papua New Guinea (Giordani Soika 1994) (Fig. 13).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFBCB079FF51F2F9F86B6484.taxon	description	(Fig. 5)	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFBCB079FF51F2F9F86B6484.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined. HOLOTYPE OF ODYNERUS LABORIOSUS: ♂ labelled “ M. [Misool, handwritten on circular label] // Odynerus / laboriosus / Smith [handwritten] // Holotype / Odynerus / laboriosus / Sm. / J. v. d. Vecht 1958 [handwritten] // TYPE HYME 2443 / Odynerus laboriosus / Smith, 1864 / HOLOTYPE ♂ / HOPE ENT COLL., OUMNH ” (OUMNH). INDONESIA: New Guinea, Humboldt Bay, leg. Doherty, 1 ♀ (MSNVE). PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Bismarck Islands, Lavongai, Banatam, 25. III. 1962, 1 ♀ (MSNVE).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFBCB079FF51F2F9F86B6484.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Indonesia: Papua; Papua New Guinea: Bismarck Islands (Smith 1864, 1865; Cameron 1913; Giordani Soika & Kojima 1988; Giordani Soika 1993 a, 1994) (Fig. 13).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFBCB079FF51F2F9F86B6484.taxon	discussion	Notes. Cameron (1913) described Odynerus waigeuensis based on a female specimen from Waigeo and this taxon was subsequently considered a synonym of Epsilon laboriosum by various authors (Meade-Waldo & Morley 1914; van der Vecht 1937; Giordani Soika & Kojima 1988; Giordani Soika 1994), with this synonymy still accepted today (Nugroho et al. 2012). Given the identification of several species hidden under the name Epsilon laboriosum, it would have been necessary to examine the holotype of Odynerus waigeuensis to understand if this name would apply to one of the three identified species, however the specimen was not found. The holotype was originally deposited in the collections of the Amsterdam Museum, like the other Papuan types described by Cameron, and these collections were transferred to Leiden (RMNH) in 2010 following the merger of the two museums. The RMNH collections contain some of Cameron's Papuan types, such as the Pompilidae Pseudagenia waigeuensis Cameron, 1913, however the types of some Eumeninae, such as Alastor hirtiventris Cameron and Odynerus waigeuensis, are missing. Based on some unpublished notes it appears that J. van der Vecht had seen at least part of those Papuan types (James M. Carpenter, pers. comm.), however a search in the RMNH failed to find them, even in the material examined by van der Vecht or received after his passing (Frederique Bakker, pers. comm.). Ascertaining the identity of Odynerus waigeuensis is therefore complicated, however from the original description the pattern seems to correspond with Epsilon laboriosum as it mentions black legs with yellow markings on femora and tibiae (E. rufipes has ferruginous-red tibiae and tarsi, E. tigrinum sp. nov. has black or barely spotted tibiae and yellow tarsi) and only two tergites with yellow bands (E. tigrinum sp. nov. has at least T 1 – T 3 with yellow bands), and the type localities of O. waigeuensis (Waigeo) and E. laboriosum (Misool) are two small islands close to each other on the westernmost coast of New Guinea, while E. tigrinum sp. nov. is currently known only from the area of Wau in easternmost New Guinea. Given these premises, it seems unlikely that Odynerus waigeuensis can correspond to Epsilon rufipes or E. tigrinum sp. nov. and therefore, it is maintained as a synonym of Epsilon laboriosum until the rediscovery of the type. Giordani Soika (1994) recorded this species from some locations across New Guinea and the Bismarck Islands, however, examination of the material identified as Epsilon laboriosum in the Giordani Soika collection, including some of the specimens cited in that paper, reveals how this author employed a broad concept of this taxon, which in this review is divided into three species: Epsilon laboriosum s. str., Epsilon rufipes Selis, 2017, and the newly described Epsilon tigrinum sp. nov. Of the specimens published by Giordani Soika (1994), all those from New Guinea have been re-examined, showing that only the female from Humboldt Bay (currently Yos Sudarso Bay) belongs to E. laboriosum as it perfectly matches with the holotype of this taxon, while the other four specimens belong to E. rufipes and E. tigrinum sp. nov. (see under those species for further details). The three specimens from the Bismarck Islands collected by the Noona Dan Expedition, also cited in part in a previous paper (Giordani Soika 1993 a), have not been re-examined, however in the Giordani Soika collection there is a further specimen from Lavongai collected during the same expedition. This specimen was compared with the male holotype of Odynerus laboriosus from Misool (Figs 5 A – B) and the female from Humboldt Bay (Figs 5 C, G), showing generally broader yellow markings and slightly coarser punctures (Fig. 5 H), without other evident morphological differences. Pending examination of further material, populations from the Bismarck Islands are considered to belong to Epsilon laboriosum.	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFBDB07DFF51F4A3FAD162FA.taxon	description	(Figs 6, 12 B)	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFBDB07DFF51F4A3FAD162FA.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. Epsilon latefasciatum sp. nov. can be recognized among the species of Epsilon occurring in the Malay Archipelago by the following combination of characters: apical margin of clypeus subtruncate and 0.20 – 0.25 × as wide as clypeus (Figs 6 B – C), vertex 1.20 – 1.25 × as long as ocellocular distance and gena 0.50 – 0.55 × as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus, ocelli not reduced with distance between anterior and lateral ocelli 0.80 – 0.95 × as wide as ocellar diameter, apical lamella of T 2 about twice as long as ocellar diameter and convex with downwardly curved apex, entirely covering and largely exceeding the true apical margin of the tergite (Fig. 6 E), clypeus sparsely micropunctate with few flat-bottomed punctures (Figs 6 B – C), mesoscutum densely punctate with interspaces forming a sharp reticulation (Fig. 6 D), T 1 – T 2 with small deep punctures separated by wide interspaces (Fig. 6 E). Additionally, Epsilon latefasciatum sp. nov. can be recognized by its pattern with yellow-orange markings, in particular the wide apical band of T 2 much wider than that on T 1 (Figs 6 A, 6 E). Due to the narrow apical margin of the clypeus, Epsilon latefasciatum sp. nov. would fall close to some other species occurring in the Malay Archipelago: Epsilon achterbergi, E. bertschi sp. nov., E. incola and E. manifestum. The length of the apical lamella of T 2 permits an immediate distinction from E. achterbergi, E. bertschi sp. nov. and E. incola, as these three species present a very short translucent margin that is barely distinguished from the rest of the tergite, shorter than one ocellar diameter (Figs 1 E, 1 J, 4 E). Distinction of E. latefasciatum sp. nov. from E. manifestum is supported by some characters of sculpture, such as clypeus more sparsely micropunctate with few flat-bottomed punctures becoming denser basally (Figs 6 B – C) and T 1 – T 2 similarly sculpted with small deep punctures separated by wide interspaces (Fig. 6 E), pattern, and morphology of the aedeagus (Fig. 12 B).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFBDB07DFF51F4A3FAD162FA.taxon	materials_examined	Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♂ labelled “ W. Java 400 m [originally printed quote crossed out] / [crossed out original locality of Buitenzorg] / Mt. Salah [handwritten] / Waroengloa 3. XII [handwritten] / M. A. Lieftinck 1939 [last two digits handwritten] // Epsilon / manifestus [sic!] / Giordani Soika det. 19 [identification handwritten] // Epsilon latefasciatum / HOLOTYPUS ♂ / Det. Marco Selis 2026 [red label] ” (MSNVE). PARATYPES: same data as holotype, 1 ♂ 1 ♀ (MSNVE); W. Java, Mt. Gede, 1000 m, I. 1935, leg. native collector, 1 ♀ (MSNVE).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFBDB07DFF51F4A3FAD162FA.taxon	description	Description. Male holotype, habitus in Fig. 6 A. Body length 7.0 mm; fore wing length 6.0 mm. Head 1.3 × as wide as high (Fig. 6 B). Clypeus in frontal view 1.25 × as wide as long, apical margin subtruncate and 0.23 × as wide as clypeus, very shallowly reflexed, apical teeth obtusely triangular with blunt apex, basal margin very weakly sinuate and nearly entirely horizontal, free apical part of clypeus about as long as interocular basal part (Fig. 6 B); clypeus in lateral view weakly and evenly convex, except for shallowly reflexed apex. Interantennal space with two pits delimiting a sharp median longitudinal carina. Vertex 1.2 × as long as ocellocular distance and 2.25 × as long as ocellar diameter, convex and strongly sloping, with occipital carina placed well below level of ocellar triangle; ocelli placed in an obtuse triangle, distance between lateral and anterior ocelli 0.8 × as wide as transverse diameter of anterior ocellus. Gena 0.55 × as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus, flattened in ventral half and with a longitudinal rounded ridge on dorsal half; occipital carina complete and sharp, preceded by a shallow crenate furrow, carina very fine and short on vertex and becoming thicker and lamellate on gena. Flagellum short and thickening from base to apex, F 1 1.35 × as long as wide and 1.1 × as long as F 2, F 2 – F 4 and F 9 longer than wide, F 5 – F 8 subquadrate, F 11 elongate claw-shaped, thin and nearly straight with bluntly pointed apex, reaching basal margin of F 9. Mesosoma 1.15 × as long as wide, squat-bodied (Fig. 6 D). Pronotum short, sides weakly convex and converging anteriorly, very shallowly sinuate behind humeri; pronotal carina complete, very shortly lamellate and hyaline on dorsal face, becoming thicker and higher on lateral faces, rounded on humeri and shallowly sinuate below them; pretegular carina complete and sharp, fine; anterior face of pronotum with a barely impressed transverse depression in the middle. Mesoscutum 1.2 × as wide as long, with very faint indications of notauli on posterior margin. Scutellum wider than long, shallowly convex on disc with shallow and irregular median longitudinal furrow, anterior and posterior margins crenate with larger median pit; axillary fossa small and elliptical, longer than wide, narrower than one ocellar diameter. Metanotum divided into two faces, dorsal face horizontal and shallowly depressed in the middle, subrectangular, 3.3 × as wide as long, posterior face nearly vertical and transversely convex; lateral longitudinal carinae of metanotum high and sharp; margin between dorsal and posterior faces sharp and shortly lamellate, medially depressed. Tegula longer than wide, outer margin strongly convex, posterior lobe sharply triangular and short, equaling apex of parategula; parategula wide and shallowly convex, abruptly bent near middle and with bluntly pointed apex. Mesepisternum strongly convex, furrows wide and weakly impressed, shallowly crenate; epimeron sharply raised ventrally and continuing in a short and irregular carina below; epicnemial carina sharp but low, reaching episternal furrow above and becoming weaker on mesosternum, where it meets contralateral in front of mid coxae. Propodeum short and vertically falling below metanotum; dorsal faces of propodeum strongly and evenly convex, widely spaced and not meeting behind metanotum, markedly separated from posterior face; lateral faces of propodeum shallowly depressed, clearly separated from other faces of propodeum but transitions rounded, without carinae; posterior face of propodeum wide and very shallowly depressed, lateral parts flattened and angularly meeting on median line, shallowly convex on lateral margins, with two deep pits above submarginal carina, median line bluntly carinate and dorsally smoothly passing into a subtriangular sclerite laterally bordered by two elongate pits; dorsal carinae of propodeum present but irregular due to very coarse punctures of dorsal faces; submarginal carina of propodeum produced in a short and broadly rounded lobe, valvula entirely fused with carina and with shallowly sinuate posterior margin. T 1 in dorsal view more or less semicircular, 2.15 × as wide as medially long; T 1 in lateral view with a convex anterior face dorsally smoothly curving into a flatter horizontal posterior face; apical margin of T 1 with narrow hyaline lamellate border, shallowly depressed (Fig. 6 E). T 2 in dorsal view wider than long with convex sides, slightly wider than T 1; apical area of T 2 duplicated, with preapical ridge forming a very long lamella which is reflexed and separated from the disc of the tergite, covering and much exceeding the true apical margin of the tergite, lamella about twice as long as one ocellar diameter and barely shortening laterally, apically thickened and with downward curved apical margin, therefore appearing convex (Fig. 6 E). S 2 evenly convex in lateral view, basally with a shallow subtriangular depression reaching the middle of the sternite. S 7 flattened with evenly and broadly rounded apical margin. Genitalia in Fig. 12 B. Clypeus micropunctate with few ill-marked flat-bottomed punctures, these punctures becoming slightly denser and more evident in the middle of the base; frons with dense flat-bottomed punctures separated by narrow and sharp interspaces, looking like polygonal cells; vertex with flat-bottomed punctures, shallower and sparser medially and becoming deeper and denser towards gena; gena punctate only along margins, with an impunctate longitudinal line in the middle. Mesosoma with dense deep punctures, separated by raised interspaces mostly narrower than puncture diameter; lateral faces of pronotum more coarsely punctate with few striae intermixed; metanotum with dorsal face very coarsely punctate, interspaces reduced to sharp ridges, posterior face with few punctures in dorsal half, finely shagreened and transversely striate in ventral half; tegula finely micropunctate and shiny; mesepisternum with punctures larger and shallower, forming polygonal cells similarly to frons, arranged in irregular series on dorsal plate; metaepisternum largely impunctate and finely shagreened, with a series of coarse punctures along the anterior margin, and some fine striae on the upper plate; dorsal faces of propodeum with polygonal cells similarly to mesepisternum, but interspaces sharper and higher; lateral faces of propodeum finely striate with some deep punctures along posterodorsal margin; posterior face of propodeum very finely and sparsely shagreened, strongly shiny, with few weakly visible punctures on dorsolateral margin and some fine striae along median carina. T 1 with small deep punctures, denser on base of posterior horizontal face and becoming sparser apically, disappearing before reaching apical margin, interspaces variable but generally wider than punctures; T 2 with larger and deeper punctures, interspaces 1.5 – 2.0 × as wide as puncture diameter, transition between tergite and apical lamella marked by a series of dense punctures; tergites from T 3 to T 7 becoming progressively more evidently micropunctate, punctures evident on T 3, becoming finer and less evident apically; S 1 with smooth and shiny basal stalk, matte and sparsely striate on widened posterior part; S 2 with punctures similar to T 2 but larger and deeper, interspaces wider and sparsely micropunctate, shiny, apex of S 2 with a series of dense fine punctures delimiting a narrow impunctate margin; S 3 – S 6 similar to respective tergites but punctures more evident; S 7 densely shagreened and finely punctate. Head and mesosoma with erect pale setae longer than one ocellar diameter, shorter and denser on clypeus; short pale metallic pubescence present on head and mesosoma, but extremely sparse and barely discernible on dorsal side, dense and evident on face, gena and mesepisternum; metaepisternum and lateral faces of propodeum with dust-like pubescence, dorsal faces of propodeum with short silvery-white pubescence, posterolateral corners with dense and fine erect setae; posterior face of propodeum bare except for sparse downward pointing long setae; metasoma with dense but little evident short pubescence, with oblique to erect setae on all segments, longer on sternites than on tergites, becoming longer and denser from S 3 to S 7; apical margin of S 7 margined by a brush of dark setae. Black; following parts yellow: large pyriform spots on basal corner of clypeus, line on ventral margin of ocular sinus, line covering most of ventral face of scape, short longitudinal line on gena behind dorsal lobe of eye, anterior band on pronotum weakly expanded laterally and covering a little more of the median third of dorsal carina of pronotum, anterior and posterior spots on tegula, apical half of parategula, dorsal half of metanotum, apical half of outer face of fore femur, line on apical half of mid femur, small spot at apex of hind femur, most of outer face of fore tibia, dorsal line and apical ventral spot on mid and hind tibiae, most of tarsi; following parts orange-yellow: narrow and regular apical band on T 1, wide regular apical band on T 2 3 - 4 × as wide as band on T 1, small apicolateral spots on S 2; tegula black and tinged with reddish-brown. Wings hyaline with brown tinge along costal margin, with weak pale brassy reflections. Female. Differing from male as follows: clypeus 1.30 – 1.35 × as wide as long, apical margin 0.2 × as wide as clypeus (Fig. 6 C), gena 0.5 × as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus, distance between lateral and anterior ocelli 0.95 × as wide as transverse diameter of anterior ocellus, cephalic foveae placed in a small but deep transverse pit, posterolaterally margined by sharp elevations of the posterior margin, much closer to ocellar triangle than to occipital margin, punctures of mesosoma denser, punctures of T 2 finer, yellow lines on scape and ocular sinus shorter, mesepisternum with a small yellow spot below tegula. Variability. The extension of the yellow markings on tegula and legs is variable, with tegula and tibiae that can be almost entirely yellow.	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFBDB07DFF51F4A3FAD162FA.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Indonesia: Java (Giordani Soika 1994, as Epsilon manifestum [partim]) (Fig. 13).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFBDB07DFF51F4A3FAD162FA.taxon	etymology	Etymology. The species epithet refers to the wide apical band on T 2.	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFBDB07DFF51F4A3FAD162FA.taxon	discussion	Notes. Giordani Soika (1994) recorded E. manifestum from various localities across the western Malay Archipelago, with several specimens from Western Java; some of these specimens were re-examined, showing that they belonged in fact to the newly described E. latefasciatum sp. nov.	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB8B07FFF51F40DF882618A.taxon	description	(Figs 7, 12 C)	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB8B07FFF51F40DF882618A.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined. HOLOTYPE OF ODYNERUS MANIFESTUS: ♂ labelled “ SAR. [Sarawak, handwritten on circular label] // Odynerus / manifestus / Smith [handwritten] // TYPE HYME 2400 / Odynerus manifestus / Smith, 1858 / HOLOTYPE ♂ / HOPE ENT COLL., OUMNH ” (OUMNH). MALAYSIA: Sabah, Kalabakan, 3 – 11. IV. 1973, leg. K. M. Guichard, 2 ♂ (MSNVE); Sabah, Ulu Dusun, 12 – 22. V. 1973, leg. K. M. Guichard, 2 ♂ (MSNVE); Sarawak, 4 th division, Gn. Mulu, 17. IX – 23. X. 1977, leg. D. Hollis, 1 ♀ (MSNVE). SINGAPORE: no precise data, leg. Baker, 1 ♂ 1 ♀ (MSNVE)	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB8B07FFF51F40DF882618A.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Singapore; Indonesia: Java?; Malaysia: Sabah, Sarawak; Brunei (Smith 1858; Giordani Soika 1994) (Fig. 13).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFB8B07FFF51F40DF882618A.taxon	discussion	Notes. Giordani Soika employed a broad concept of Epsilon manifestum, identifying as such specimens ranging from continental South-East Asia to Borneo. Examination of the holotype of Epsilon manifestum in OUMNH (Fig. 7 A) and of the specimens housed in the Giordani Soika collection in MSNVE revealed that the specimens recorded from Java (Giordani Soika 1994) belonged in fact to an undescribed species, described above as Epsilon latefasciatum sp. nov., and the continental specimens to Epsilon manasicum Kumar & Carpenter, a species described 20 years after Giordani Soika’s revision of the genus. Based on the material examined, only the records from Borneo and Singapore could be confirmed as belonging to E. manifestum. However, a photo in the wild of an Epsilon from Purwakarta, Java, is available on the citizen science platform iNaturalist; the pictured specimen appears to be compatible with E. manifestum and not with E. latefasciatum sp. nov., suggesting the possible co-occurrence of both species on the island. In the absence of collected and verifiable specimens, the presence of E. manifestum on Java is considered doubtful and omitted from the distribution map. Among the examined specimens, two males present some aberrant characters: one of the two males from Kalabakan, Sabah, has an entirely black clypeus with a distinctly emarginate apical margin (Fig. 7 D), while the male from Singapore has a very narrow apical margin of clypeus and entirely ferruginous-orange tegulae (Fig. 7 F). Despite these unusual characters, the two males display the typical diagnostic characters of E. manifestum and were collected in sympatry with usual specimens, indicating that they are most likely anomalous specimens. The possible discovery of further specimens with these anomalous characters will clarify the status of these forms, which for now are attributed to E. manifestum.	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFBAB060FF51F0B8FB4E618A.taxon	description	(Fig. 8)	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFBAB060FF51F0B8FB4E618A.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. Epsilon perforatum sp. nov. can be recognized among the species of Epsilon occurring in the Malay Archipelago by the following combination of characters: apical margin of clypeus with median rounded incision and 0.30 × as wide as clypeus (Fig. 8 B), vertex 1.4 × as long as ocellocular distance and gena 0.4 × as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus, ocelli not reduced with distance between anterior and lateral ocelli 0.85 × as wide as ocellar diameter, dorsal face of metanotum entirely horizontal and coarsely punctate (Fig. 8 C), apical lamella of T 2 brown-orange, sub-hyaline, about as long as one ocellar diameter and shallowly reflexed (Fig. 8 D), S 2 strongly and evenly convex in lateral view (Fig. 8 E) and with basal depression large with deeper median line (Fig. 8 F), head and mesosoma with coarse deep punctures, denser on pronotum and mesoscutum where interspaces are narrower than half puncture diameter (Fig. 8 C), T 1 – T 2 with large deep punctures similar to those on mesosoma (Fig. 8 D). Epsilon perforatum sp. nov. appears similar to Epsilon vechti, with both species only known from Sulawesi. The two species share a brown-orange sub-hyaline apical lamella of T 2, subrectangular valvula of propodeum, distinct punctures on metasoma and a very similar general appearance with almost identical color patterns. Epsilon perforatum sp. nov. however, differs from E. vechti in several characters: median incision of apical margin of clypeus about twice wider than deep (Fig. 8 B; furrow-like and much deeper than wide in E. vechti, Fig. 11 B), vertex 1.4 × as long as ocellocular distance (2.0 × in E. vechti, Fig. 11 C), gena 0.4 × as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus (Fig. 8 A; 0.75 × in E. vechti, Fig. 11 D), scutellum shallowly but distinctly convex on anterior and posterior margins and flattened on disc only (almost evenly flattened from mesoscutum to metanotum in E. vechti), dorsal face of metanotum horizontal and sharply separated from posterior face forming a more or less right-angle (Fig. 8 C; dorsal face strongly sloping and almost forming an even curvature with posterior face in E. vechti), coarser and denser punctures of mesosoma with interspaces on pronotum and mesoscutum narrower than half puncture diameter (Fig. 8 C; less coarse and sparser punctures, interspaces reaching one puncture diameter in E. vechti), propodeal valvula mostly fused to submarginal carina except for short subrectangular projection (mostly free and forming a long subrectangular lobe in E. vechti), punctures of metasoma coarser and denser, on T 2 interspaces in average as wide as puncture diameter (Fig. 8 D; punctures less coarse and sparser, on T 2 interspaces wider than puncture diameter in E. vechti, Fig. 11 F), S 2 strongly and evenly convex in lateral view (Fig. 8 E; weakly and irregularly convex in E. vechti, more convex basally than in apical half), basal depression of S 2 deeper and with a deepened part on median line (Fig. 8 F; evenly and shallowly depressed in E. vechti), smaller body length of 9.0 mm (larger, 11 mm in E. vechti). Despite the strong similarity between the two species and the evident affinity demonstrated by the similar morphology of the propodeal valvula and the apical lamella of T 2, as well as by the clypeus which in both species presents an incision although of a different shape, the sum of the differences listed above is considered sufficient to consider Epsilon perforatum sp. nov. a distinct species.	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFBAB060FF51F0B8FB4E618A.taxon	materials_examined	Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♀ labelled “ ID — Sulawesi, Bantimurung, Makaroewa / III. 2016 800 m / Leg. local collector // Epsilon perforatum / HOLOTYPUS ♀ / Det. Marco Selis 2026 [red label] ” (MSNVE).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFBAB060FF51F0B8FB4E618A.taxon	description	Description. Female holotype, habitus in Fig. 8. Body length 9.0 mm; fore wing length 9.0 mm. Head 1.35 × as wide as high (Fig. 8 B). Clypeus in frontal view 1.2 × as wide as long, apical margin with rounded incision about twice as wide as deep, 0.3 × as wide as clypeus and shallowly reflexed, apical teeth rounded and slightly pointing out, basal margin nearly entirely horizontal, barely sinuate, free apical part of clypeus 0.75 × as long as interocular basal part (Fig. 8 B); clypeus in lateral view evenly convex, except for shallowly reflexed apex. Interantennal space with two pits delimiting a sharp median longitudinal carina. Vertex 1.4 × as long as ocellocular distance and 2.4 × as long as ocellar diameter, convex and strongly sloping, with occipital carina placed well below level of ocellar triangle; ocelli placed in an obtuse triangle, distance between lateral and anterior ocelli 0.85 × as long as transverse diameter of anterior ocellus; cephalic foveae placed in a V-shaped deep depression, with posterior margin laterally raised on two sharp rounded lobes, much closer to ocellar triangle than to occipital margin. Gena 0.4 × as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus, flattened in ventral half and with longitudinal rounded elevation on dorsal half; occipital carina complete and sharp, preceded by a crenate furrow that is very fine on vertex and becomes wider and deeper on gena, carina short and fine on vertex and becoming a thick lamella on gena. Flagellum short and thickening from base to apex, F 1 1.35 × as long as wide and 1.2 × as long as F 2, F 2 slightly longer than wide, F 3 – F 4 subquadrate, F 5 – F 9 transverse and becoming progressively wider and shorter. Mesosoma 1.15 × as long as wide, squat-bodied (Fig. 8 C). Pronotum short, sides weakly convex and converging anteriorly, very shallowly sinuate behind right-angled humeri; pronotal carina complete, very shortly lamellate and hyaline on dorsal face, higher and broadly rounded on humeri, and thicker on lateral faces; pretegular carina sharp, becoming blunter at upper end; anterior face of pronotum with barely recognizable paired depressions in the middle. Mesoscutum 1.15 × as wide as long. Scutellum wider than long, very weakly convex with flattened disc, with deep median longitudinal furrow, anterior and posterior margins crenate; axillary fossa small and elliptical, longer than wide, narrower than one ocellar diameter. Metanotum divided into two faces, dorsal face horizontal and subrectangular, 3.15 × as wide as long, 0.55 × as wide and 0.30 × as long as scutellum, posterior face nearly vertical and transversely convex; lateral longitudinal carinae of metanotum high and sharp; margin between dorsal and posterior faces sharp, forming a short hyaline lamella. Tegula longer than wide, outer margin strongly and evenly convex, posterior lobe sharply triangular and short, equaling apex of parategula; parategula flat and wide, abruptly bent almost at right-angle and with narrow rounded apex. Mesepisternum strongly convex, furrows wide and indistinct, shallowly crenate; epimeron sharply raised ventrally; epicnemial carina low and blunt, almost absent dorsally and becoming sharper near ventral corner, meeting contralateral on mesosternum just in front of mid coxae. Propodeum short and vertically falling below metanotum; dorsal faces of propodeum convex and widely spaced behind metanotum, weakly separated from posterior face; lateral faces of propodeum flattened, becoming shallowly depressed ventrally and convex along margins with other faces; posterior face of propodeum wide and very shallowly depressed, lateral parts flattened and angularly meeting on median line, with two deep pits above submarginal carina, median line raised in a low and blunt carina and dorsally smoothly passing into a subtriangular sclerite, transition from carina to sclerite laterally margined by two deep pits; submarginal carina of propodeum produced in a short and subtriangular lobe with rounded apex, valvula almost entirely fused with carina and shortly produced posteriorly in a rectangular lobe. T 1 in dorsal view semicircular with broadly rounded anterior margin, 2.25 × as wide as medially long; T 1 in lateral view with a shallowly convex vertical face dorsally curving into a flattened horizontal face; apical margin of T 1 with narrow hyaline border, shallowly depressed (Fig. 8 D). T 2 in dorsal view subquadrate with weakly convex sides, slightly wider than T 1; apical area of T 2 duplicated, with preapical ridge forming a subhyaline brown-orange lamella that is barely reflexed and completely covers the true apical margin of the tergite except at extreme sides, lamella about as long as one ocellar diameter (Fig. 8 D). S 2 evenly and strongly convex in lateral view (Fig. 8 E), basally with a large subtriangular depression reaching the center of the sternite and becoming deeper on mid-line (Fig. 8 F). Clypeus with shallow but well-impressed punctures, oblique and sparse ventrally, becoming rounded and denser dorsally where the interspaces are equal to puncture diameters; frons with dense flat-bottomed punctures separated by bluntly raised interspaces narrower than puncture diameter, looking like polygonal cells; vertex with much sparser and deeper punctures, separated by wide shiny interspaces; gena finely and sparsely punctate dorsally, punctures becoming coarser and denser ventrally. Mesosoma with large deep punctures, separated by sparsely micropunctate interspaces that are generally much narrower than one puncture diameter; lateral faces of pronotum coarsely striate with intermixed small deep punctures; scutellum with very coarse and dense punctures in the median furrow, anterolaterally with interspaces wider than puncture diameter and posterolaterally with punctures becoming smaller and much denser; metanotum with dorsal face very coarsely punctate, interspaces reduced to sharp ridges, and posterior face coarsely punctate in dorsal half and mostly smooth in ventral half; tegula finely micropunctate and weakly shiny; mesepisternum with large and flat-bottomed punctures with shiny bottom, partly arranged in irregular series, interspaces much less shiny and irregular in width; metaepisternum largely impunctate and finely shagreened, dorsal plate with some small coarse punctures and posteriorly invaded by the striation of lateral face of propodeum, ventral plate with a series of coarse punctures along anterior margin; dorsal faces of propodeum with very coarse and large punctures separated by raised sharp interspaces; lateral faces of propodeum with flat-bottomed shallow punctures that anteriorly intergrade with coarse striation; posterior face of propodeum strongly shiny and smooth, with few little-visible hair-bearing punctures, some coarse punctures along dorsal margin. T 1 with large oblique punctures, denser on base of posterior horizontal face and becoming sparser posteriorly, leaving most of the apical margin impunctate, and becoming denser and deeper on sides, interspaces about equal to puncture diameter anteriorly and becoming much wider posteriorly; T 2 similar to T 1 but punctures deeper and more clearly impressed, interspaces micropunctate and mostly as wide as 1 – 2 puncture diameters, punctures becoming denser on sides and just before apical lamella; T 3 – T 4 finely shagreened with deep small punctures, slightly larger and denser on T 3 than on T 4; T 5 – T 6 micropunctate and finely shagreened; S 1 with smooth and shiny basal stalk, silky shiny with few shallow ridges on widened posterior part; S 2 with larger and deeper punctures when compared to T 2, punctures much sparser on basal depression and becoming denser and smaller apically, interspaces shiny and very finely micropunctate; S 3 – S 6 similar to respective tergites, but microsculpture more evident and punctures sparser. Head and mesosoma with short and sparse pale brownish pubescence, denser and very pale golden on clypeus, gena and mesepisternum, and sparse erect setae longer than one ocellar diameter, shorter on clypeus, most setae on mesosoma bent at apex; metaepisternum and dorsal and lateral faces of propodeum with dust-like pale pubescence, corner of propodeum with dense and fine erect setae; posterior face of propodeum without pubescence and bearing sparse downward pointing long setae; metasoma with dense dark pubescence and scattered oblique setae. Black; following parts yellow: subtriangular markings covering lateral third of interocular part of clypeus, small elongate spot on ventral margin of ocular sinus, line on gena behind upper lobe of eye, laterally abbreviated and medially interrupted anterior band on pronotum, subtriangular spots on anterior and posterior lobe of tegula, parategula, dorsal face of metanotum, elliptical marking on mesepisternum just below tegula, narrow and regular apical band on T 1, wider and sinuate apical band on T 2, apical spot on outer face of fore and mid femora, most of outer face of fore and mid tibiae, line on outer face of hind tibia not reaching base and apex, basitarsi; apex of tibiae and most of tarsi brownish-red. Wings subhyaline, weakly tinged with brown, more markedly along costal margin, with weak brassy-purplish reflections. Male. Unknown.	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFBAB060FF51F0B8FB4E618A.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Indonesia: Sulawesi (Fig. 13).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFBAB060FF51F0B8FB4E618A.taxon	etymology	Etymology. The species epithet refers to the sculpture made of coarse and deep punctures, which gives a perforated appearance to this species.	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFA5B062FF51F0B8FDD763F6.taxon	description	(Figs 9, 12 D)	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFA5B062FF51F0B8FDD763F6.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined. HOLOTYPE OF EPSILON RUFIPES: ♀ labelled “ ID — Moluccas, Aru, S coast Wokam, / 10 - 15 km NEE Wakua 21 - 30. I. 2015 / Leg. St. Jakl // Epsilon / rufipes sp. nov. HOLOTYPUS ♀ / Det. Marco Selis 2017 [red label] (MSNVE). INDONESIA: Hollandia, VII. 1938, leg. L. J. Toxopeus, 1 ♂ (MSNVE). PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Aroano Estate, Aroa River, 19 - 25. III. 1966, leg. G. L. Bush, 1 ♀ (MSNVE); D. N. Guinea, Finshhafn, 1910, leg. Hertle, 1 ♂ (MSNVE); Torricelli, 15 miles [24,1 km] S of Paup, 1700 ft [518 m], III. 1939, leg. G. P. Moore, 1 ♀ (MSNVE).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFA5B062FF51F0B8FDD763F6.taxon	description	Description of male. Differing from the female as follows: clypeus 1.25 – 1.35 × as wide as long, apical margin more shallowly emarginate and 0.3 × as wide as clypeus (Fig. 9 D), clypeus more convex basally, gena 0.38 × as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus and with a sharp longitudinal carina, F 11 claw-shaped to digitiform, thin and not reaching basal margin of F 9, pronotal carina more produced on humeri, scutellum with lateral margins horizontally produced in flattened subtriangular lobes (Fig. 9 F), S 7 flattened with broadly rounded apical margin, punctures coarser on whole body, especially on frons and mesosoma. Black; apex of femora and whole tibiae and tarsi ferruginous-red; following parts yellow: clypeus except apical margin, spot above interantennal space, short line on ventral margin of ocular sinus, ventral face of scape, short line on gena behind dorsal lobe of eye, laterally shortened narrow band along pronotal carina, apex of posterior lobe of tegula, parategula, dorsal face of metanotum, very small spot on mesepisternum below tegula, sinuate and medially incised apical band on T 1, similar but laterally shallowly expanded band on T 2, small posterolateral spots on S 2, apex of fore femur, line on apical half of outer face of mid femur, variably developed line on outer face of all tibiae and basitarsi. Genitalia in Fig. 12 D.	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFA5B062FF51F0B8FDD763F6.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Indonesia: Moluccas (Aru), Papua *; Papua New Guinea * (Giordani Soika 1994, as Epsilon laboriosum [partim]; Selis 2017) (Fig. 13).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFA5B062FF51F0B8FDD763F6.taxon	discussion	Notes. Selis (2017) described Epsilon rufipes based on a female from Aru (Moluccas), differentiating it primarily based on sculpture, apical lamella of the T 2, and coloration of legs. The holotype, which was to date the only known specimen of the species, exhibits a particularly dark pattern, with ferruginous-red tibiae and tarsi and subtle pale yellow markings on head and metasoma only (Figs 9 A – B, 9 H). The study of the Epsilon in the Giordani Soika collection revealed two females mistakenly identified as E. laboriosum and presenting ferruginous-red tibiae. These females show a more extensive yellow coloration when compared to the holotype of E. rufipes, with additional spots on the head, mesosoma and legs, and the bands on T 1 – T 2 are wider and more sinuous (Figs 9 C, 9 G, 9 I), however the extent of this yellow pattern is variably developed in the two specimens, therefore the holotype of E. rufipes and the female from Aroano River seem to represent the extremes of a range of variability, and the female from Paup appears intermediate between the two. In addition to the graduality of the pattern and same coloration of legs, the morphology across all three specimens is consistent, and Aru is very close to the southwestern coast of New Guinea, with the two islands having been connected in recent geological time during the Last Glacial Maximum, suggesting that the three specimens simply represent the variability of a single species, allowing the two females from New Guinea to be identified as Epsilon rufipes. The study of the material identified as new species by Giordani Soika but never published also produced two males from New Guinea, labelled as holotype and paratype of " Epsilon scutellaris ", a nomen nudum, characterized by a peculiar morphology of the scutellum, the lateral margins of which are expanded horizontally into a subtriangular and flattened protrusion (Fig. 9 F). The two males have ferruginous-red tibiae and, excluding the peculiar scutellum, the morphology and sculpture also coincide perfectly with Epsilon rufipes, in particular with the two females from New Guinea mentioned above, leading to consider the expanded scutellum as simple sexual dimorphism and allowing these two specimens to be identified as the unknown male of E. rufipes. One of the two males is missing most of the metasoma from T 3 onwards, including the genitalia, while the other had the genitalia already dissected, with the aedeagus very poorly preserved (Fig. 12 D). Giordani Soika (1994) recorded E. laboriosum from various localities across New Guinea and Bismarck Islands, with one female from Aroa River collected in March 1966 by Bush, and one male from Finshhafn collected in 1910 by Hertle; these specimens were re-examined, showing that they belong in fact to E. rufipes.	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFA7B064FF51F324FA7664B6.taxon	description	(Figs 10, 12 E)	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFA7B064FF51F324FA7664B6.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. Epsilon tigrinum sp. nov. can be recognized among the species of Epsilon occurring in the Malay Archipelago by the following combination of characters: apical margin of clypeus shallowly emarginate and 0.30 – 0.35 × as wide as clypeus (Figs 10 B – C), vertex 1.40 – 1.70 × as long as ocellocular distance and gena 0.35 – 0.50 × as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus in female and 0.37 × in male, ocelli not reduced with distance between anterior and lateral ocelli 0.85 – 1.00 × as wide as ocellar diameter, weakly convex to flattened scutellum with disc barely above level of metanotum (Fig. 10 D), apical lamella of T 2 shorter than half ocellar diameter and leaving the apical margin visible (Figs 10 F – G), legs black with yellow markings on femora and all tarsi (Figs 10 A, 10 F), narrow apical yellow bands at least on T 1 – T 3 (Figs 10 A, 10 F), and male with evenly convex and not laterally produced scutellum. The yellow markings on tarsi and tergites from T 3 onwards allow an immediate identification of the species. The combination of wide and shallowly emarginate apical margin of the clypeus and short translucent apical lamella of T 2 makes E. tigrinum sp. nov. similar to other species occurring in the Malay Archipelago: Epsilon crassipunctatum, E. dyscherum, E. laboriosum and E. rufipes. The distinction from E. crassipunctatum and E. dyscherum is immediate due to the normally developed ocelli (strongly reduced in E. crassipunctatum and E. dyscherum), narrower yellow pattern with apical bands at least on T 1 – T 3 (Figs 10 A, 10 F; wider yellow markings and apical bands only on T 1 – T 2 in E. crassipunctatum and E. dyscherum, Figs 2 A, 3 A), and occurrence in eastern New Guinea (Sulawesi for E. crassipunctatum, Philippine Islands for E. dyscherum). The greatest similarities are observed with E. laboriosum and E. rufipes, with which E. tigrinum sp. nov. coexists in New Guinea, and the distinction between the three species is based on different combinations of characters. In this context, E. tigrinum sp. nov. can be distinguished by the following combination: scutellum weakly convex to flattened (Fig. 10 D; strongly convex in E. laboriosum, Fig. 5 D), scutellum of male evenly rounded on sides and not forming lateral expansions (forming flap-like expansions in E. rufipes, Fig 9 F), metanotum small, 0.40 – 0.45 × as wide and 0.25 – 0.27 × as long as scutellum (Fig. 10 E; 0.50 – 0.55 × as wide and 0.35 – 0.40 × as long in E. laboriosum, Fig. 5 E; 0.50 – 0.55 × as wide and 0.30 – 0.35 × as long in E. rufipes), T 2 with punctures separated by interspaces as wide as several puncture diameters (Fig. 10 G; interspaces as wide as 1 – 2 puncture diameters in E. laboriosum, Figs 5 G – H), mid and hind tibiae black or rarely with irregular dot-like yellow spots (Fig. 10 F; all tibiae with large yellow markings in E. laboriosum, Fig. 5 F; tibiae entirely red and sometimes with suffused yellow lines in E. rufipes, Figs 9 A, 9 G), tarsi largely marked with yellow (Fig. 10 F; entirely black in E. laboriosum except for males, Figs 5 A, 5 F; red in E. rufipes, Figs 9 A, 9 G), narrow yellow bands at least on T 1 – T 3, sometimes on T 4 and T 5 too (Figs 10 A, 10 F; only on T 1 – T 2 in E. laboriosum and E. rufipes, Figs 5 A, 9 A).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFA7B064FF51F324FA7664B6.taxon	materials_examined	Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♀ labelled “ NEW GUINEA: / Morobe district, / Wau. 1 Jan. 1973 [original printed date Dec. 1973, corrected with pen] / O. W. Richards // Epsilon / laboriosus (Sm) / Giordani Soika det. 1974 [identification and last digit handwritten] // AGS [green and white label] // Epsilon tigrinum / HOLOTYPUS ♀ / Det. Marco Selis 2026 [red label] ” (MSNVE). PARATYPES: same locality as holotype, 27. XII. 1972, 1 ♂ (MSNVE); same locality as holotype, 2. I. 1973, 1 ♀ (MSNVE); E. New Guinea, Wau, 1200 - 1400 m, 9 - 17. IX. 1972, leg. J. v. d. Vecht, 1 ♀ (MSNVE); P. N. G., Wau, foot of Mt. Missim, 11. VII. 1985, leg. J. Kojima, 1 ♀ (MSNVE).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFA7B064FF51F324FA7664B6.taxon	description	Description. Female holotype, habitus in Fig. 10 A. Body length 9.5 mm; fore wing length 7.5 mm. Head 1.3 × as wide as high (Fig. 10 B). Clypeus in frontal view 1.35 × as wide as long, apical margin shallowly emarginate and broadly V-shaped, 0.35 × as wide as clypeus and shallowly reflexed, apical teeth more or less right-angled with apex pointing laterally, basal margin very weakly sinuate and weakly convex, nearly horizontal, free apical part of clypeus about as long as interocular basal part (Fig. 10 B); clypeus in lateral view weakly and evenly convex, except for shallowly reflexed apex. Interantennal space with two pits delimiting a blunt median longitudinal carina. Vertex 1.6 × as long as ocellocular distance and 3.2 × as long as ocellar diameter, convex and strongly sloping, with occipital carina placed well below level of ocellar triangle; ocelli placed in an obtuse triangle, distance between lateral and anterior ocelli 0.8 × as long as transverse diameter of anterior ocellus; cephalic foveae placed in a transverse very deep pit, with broadly V-shaped posterior margin which laterally is raised in sharp subtriangular elevations, much closer to ocellar triangle than to occipital margin. Gena 0.45 × as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus, flattened in ventral half and with a longitudinal rounded elevation on dorsal half; occipital carina complete and sharp, preceded by a crenate furrow that is very fine on vertex and becomes wider and deeper on gena, carina short and fine on vertex and becoming a thick lamella on gena. Flagellum short and thickening from base to apex, F 1 1.35 × as long as wide and 1.25 × as long as F 2, F 2 – F 3 subquadrate, F 4 – F 9 transverse and becoming progressively wider and shorter. Mesosoma 1.15 × as long as wide, squat-bodied. Pronotum short, sides weakly convex and converging anteriorly, very shallowly sinuate behind right-angled humeri; pronotal carina complete, very shortly lamellate and hyaline on dorsal face, becoming thicker and longer on lateral faces, rounded on humeri and shallowly sinuate at level of pronotal fovea; pretegular carina sharp, becoming blunter and disappearing at upper end; anterior face of pronotum with barely recognizable paired depressions in the middle. Mesoscutum 1.2 × as wide as long. Scutellum wider than long, very weakly convex to flattened on disc (Fig. 10 D) with irregular and shallow indication of median longitudinal furrow, anterior and posterior margins crenate with larger median pit; axillary fossa small and elliptical, longer than wide, narrower than one ocellar diameter. Metanotum divided into two faces, dorsal face horizontal and subrectangular, 2.6 × as wide as long, 0.45 × as wide and 0.27 × as long as scutellum (Fig. 10 E), posterior face nearly vertical and transversely convex; lateral longitudinal carinae of metanotum high and sharp; margin between dorsal and posterior faces sharp with shallow median depression. Tegula longer than wide, outer margin strongly and evenly convex, posterior lobe sharply triangular and short, equaling apex of parategula; parategula flat and wide, abruptly bent at right-angle and with pointed apex. Mesepisternum strongly convex, furrows wide and shallowly crenate; epimeron sharply raised ventrally; epicnemial carina low and blunt, almost absent dorsally and becoming sharper near ventral corner, meeting contralateral on mesosternum just in front of mid coxae. Propodeum short and vertically falling below metanotum; dorsal faces of propodeum convex and widely spaced behind metanotum, weakly separated from posterior face; lateral faces of propodeum shallowly depressed with convex posterior part, transitions to other faces rounded; posterior face of propodeum wide and very shallowly depressed, lateral parts flattened and angularly meeting on median line, with two deep pits above submarginal carina, median line raised in a flattened carina and dorsally smoothly passing into a subtriangular sclerite; submarginal carina of propodeum produced in a short and rounded subtriangular lobe, valvula entirely fused with carina and with shallowly incised posterior margin. T 1 in dorsal view subtrapezoidal with subtruncate anterior margin, 2.0 × as wide as medially long; T 1 in lateral view with a vertical face dorsally curving into a horizontal posterior face; apical margin of T 1 with narrow hyaline lamellate border, shallowly depressed (Fig. 10 G). T 2 in dorsal view subquadrate with weakly convex sides, slightly wider than T 1; apical area of T 2 duplicated, with preapical ridge forming a very short hyaline lamella in continuity with the disc of the tergite and covering the true apical margin of the tergite, progressively shortening laterally and uncovering the true apical margin at extreme sides (Fig. 10 G). S 2 weakly curved basally and then almost flattened in lateral view, basally with a shallow semicircular depression. Apical margin of T 3 weakly translucent. Clypeus with rounded and well-defined flat-bottomed punctures, larger apically and becoming finer basally, interspaces densely micropunctate and as wide as 1 – 3 puncture diameters; frons sculpted similar to clypeus just below anterior ocellus, punctures becoming larger and denser ventrally and in ocular sinus; vertex shiny with very sparse micropunctures and few very fine punctures; gena with rounded punctures similar to clypeus but deeper and slightly larger, denser along eye margin. Mesosoma with deep rounded punctures; interspaces on pronotum much wider than puncture diameter near posterior margin and becoming progressively denser anterolaterally, lateral faces with punctures separated by very narrow interspaces and intermixed with some coarse transverse striae; mesoscutum with sparsely punctate disc, with interspaces reaching up to 3 puncture diameters in width, and punctures becoming denser on sides and anteriorly, with interspaces about as wide as puncture diameter; scutellum similar to disc of mesoscutum, with very sparse punctures that become much denser just in front of posterior margin; metanotum with dorsal face coarsely punctate, interspaces reduced to sharp ridges, and posterior face coarsely punctate in dorsal half and finely transversely striate in ventral half; tegula densely micropunctate, weakly shiny; mesepisternum with large flat-bottomed punctures with shiny bottom, arranged in irregular series, interspaces matte and irregular, but always narrower than one puncture diameter; metaepisternum largely impunctate and finely shagreened, with some coarse transverse striae on upper plate and few coarse punctures along the anterior margin of the ventral plate; dorsal faces of propodeum with large flat-bottomed punctures, denser and smaller laterally and becoming sparser and larger anteromedially, with matte and microstriate interspaces; lateral faces of propodeum with transverse series of flat-bottomed punctures that gradually become transverse striae anteriorly; posterior face of propodeum smooth and strongly shiny with sparse irregular punctures. T 1 with small deep punctures, denser on base of posterior horizontal face and becoming much sparser apically, disappearing before reaching apical margin, interspaces variable but generally much wider than punctures, T 2 similar to T 1, but punctures slightly finer on disc, with micropunctate interspaces reaching up to 5 puncture diameters except on sides were the punctures are denser and separated by their diameter; T 3 – T 6 densely micropunctate, T 3 with punctures similar to T 2 but much finer, T 4 with sparser punctures, T 5 – T 6 without evident punctures; S 1 with smooth and shiny basal stalk, matte and densely micropunctate in widened posterior part; S 2 with deep rounded punctures, larger than those on T 2, interspaces micropunctate and shagreened, weakly shining, and mostly as wide as 2 puncture diameters; S 3 – S 6 similar to respective tergites, but punctures more evident and also present on S 5 – S 6. Head and mesosoma with short and sparse pubescence, silvery on head and most of mesosoma but brownish on dorsal side of mesosoma, denser on clypeus, lower part of frons and gena, and sparse erect setae about as long as one ocellar diameter, shorter and oblique on clypeus; mesosternum, metaepisternum and dorsal and lateral faces of propodeum with dust-like pale pubescence, somewhat silvery, posterolateral corners of propodeum with dense and fine erect setae; posterior face of propodeum without pubescence and bearing sparse downward pointing long setae; metasoma with very short appressed brownish pubescence and scattered setae, oblique on tergites and S 2 and erect on S 1 and S 3 – S 6. Black; following parts yellow: large rounded basal spots on clypeus, small oval spot above interantennal space, basal half of ventral face of scape, fine line on apical half of posterior margin of scape, narrow longitudinal line on upper third of gena, medially interrupted and laterally abbreviated line on middle of pronotum, small spots on anterior and posterior corners of tegula, parategula, dorsal face of metanotum, small dot on mesepisternum just below tegula, apical band on T 1 with convexities on sides of median anterior incision, evenly wide and barely sinuate apical band on T 2, laterally abbreviated narrow apical band on T 3, traces of apical band on T 4, posterolateral corners on S 2, apical spot on outer face of fore femur, apical line on anterior face of mid femur, very small suffused apical spot on hind femur, longitudinal line on inner face and small spots on outer face of fore tibia, very small dot in the middle of outer face of mid tibia, outer face of all basitarsi and some other tarsal segments; apex of fore tibia and most of tarsi brown-red; S 2 with large dark-red markings on basal depression. Wings subhyaline, weakly tinged with brown, more markedly along costal margin of marginal cell, with very weak brassy-purplish reflections. Male. Differing from female as follows: clypeus 1.25 × as wide as long and more strongly convex, apical margin 0.3 × as wide as clypeus (Fig. 10 C), gena 0.40 × as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus, distance between lateral and anterior ocelli 1.1 × as wide as transverse diameter of anterior ocellus, F 11 very small and conical, weakly curved and reaching middle of F 9, S 7 flattened with evenly and broadly rounded apical margin bearing a sparse brush of brownish-golden setae, punctures of mesosoma much larger and sparser on pronotum and mesoscutum, denser on scutellum, clypeus entirely yellow except black apical margin, ventral face of scape entirely yellow and line on posterior margin running from base to apex, fore tibia and basitarsus almost entirely yellow except line on inner face of tibia. Genitalia in Fig. 12 E. Variability. The examined females show the following variations: integument of head and mesosoma slightly matte to shiny, yellow spot on mesepisternum absent or present, apical bands on tergites ranging from T 1 – T 3 to T 1 – T 5, spot on outer face of fore tibia variably developed, outer face of mid tibia entirely black or with indistinct and irregular yellow spot in the middle,	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFA7B064FF51F324FA7664B6.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Papua New Guinea (Giordani Soika & Kojima 1988, as Epsilon waigeuensis [partim]; Giordani Soika 1994, as Epsilon laboriosum [partim]) (Fig. 13).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFA7B064FF51F324FA7664B6.taxon	etymology	Etymology. The species epithet refers to the narrow apical bands on metasoma, which are unique to this species in the geographic area considered in this work.	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFA7B064FF51F324FA7664B6.taxon	discussion	Notes. In providing new data for Epsilon waigeuensis, Giordani Soika & Kojima (1988) cited three female specimens from Wau, reporting that two of them had a different pattern showing yellow apical bands on T 3 – T 4. One of these specimens is housed in the Giordani Soika collection in MSNVE and was re-examined, showing that it belongs to E. tigrinum sp. nov. and not to E. laboriosum, the senior synonym of E. waigeuensis. The identity of the third specimen, with entirely black T 3 – T 6, could not be ascertained but it probably belongs to E. laboriosum. Later, Giordani Soika (1994) recorded E. laboriosum from various localities across New Guinea and Bismarck Islands, with two females from Wau collected in January 1973 by Richards; these two specimens were re-examined, showing that they belong in fact to E. tigrinum sp. nov.	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFACB069FF51F2F9FACE62EA.taxon	description	(Fig. 11)	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFACB069FF51F2F9FACE62EA.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined. INDONESIA: Nord-Celebes, Toli-Toli, XI – XII. 1895, leg. H. Fruhstorfer, 1 ♀ (MSNVE, paratype).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
5F7987D6FFACB069FF51F2F9FACE62EA.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Indonesia: Sulawesi (Giordani Soika 1994) (Fig. 13).	en	Selis, Marco (2026): The genus Epsilon de Saussure in the Malay Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). Zootaxa 5845 (2): 235-263, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.2.2
