Eumenes inconspicuus Smith, 1858

Nugroho, Hari, Ubaidillah, Rosichon & Kojima, Jun-ichi, 2010, Potter Wasps Of The Genus Eumenes Latreille (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) In The Western Part Of The Papuan Region, With Description Of Two New Species And Taxonomic Notes On E. Inconspicuus Smith, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 58 (2), pp. 179-187 : 184-186

Eumenes inconspicuus Smith, 1858

( Figs. 19–23 )

Eumenes inconspicua Smith, 1858: 109 .

Eumenes conformis Smith, 1864: 38 . new synonymy

Material examined. – NEW GUINEA : 1 male ( MZB), West Papua, Manokwari, Aimasi, coll. R. Ubaidillah, 15 May 2008 . AMBON: 1 female ( MZB), Waai, coll. A. M. R. Wegner, 5 Jul.1959 . BURU: 1 female ( MZB), Wamlana, coll. A. M. R. Wegner, 4 Jun.1959 . SULAWESI: North Sulawesi: 2 males ( MZB, IUNH), Poigar, coll. J. Kojima, 1 Dec.1999 ; 1 male ( MZB), Maria Lama near Poigar, coll. J. Kojima, 1 Dec.1999 ; 1 male ( IUNH), Gorontalo, Morogotan, Attimgola , 00 o 56'N 123 o 01'E, coll. J. Kojima & R. Ubaidillah, 14 Sep.2003 ; 2 males ( MZB, IUNH), Gorontalo, Datahu, Tibawa , 00 o 40'N 122 o 51'E, coll. J. Kojima & R. Ubaidillah, 14 Sep.2003 ; 1 male and 1 female ( MZB), Minahasa Peninsula , Remboken, near Tondano, coll. J. Kojima, 27 Nov.1999 ; Southeast Sulawesi: 5 males ( MZB), North Kolaka, Ranteangin, Tinukari , 03 o 38'S 121 o 04'E, 98 m asl., coll. R. Ubaidillah, S. Heydon, H. Nugroho & Giyanto, 03 Aug.2009 ; 4 females ( MZB), North Kolaka, Ranteangin, Tinukari , 03 o 38'S 121 o 04'E, R. Ubaidillah, S. Heydon, H. Nugroho & Giyanto [1 female, 43 m asl, 02 Aug.2009; 1 female, 98 m asl, 03 Aug.2009; 1 female, 186 m asl, 04 Aug.2009; 1 female, 186 m asl, 07 Aug.2009]; South Sulawesi : 1 female ( MZB), 02 o 58.5'S 120 o 05'E, 800 m asl., Puncak Palopo, Dusun Tojambu, Desa Battang, Kec. Warateluwanua, Kab. Luwu, J. Kojima, 29 Oct.2000 . JAVA: 1 male ( MZB), Yogyakarta, Gunung Kidul, Kec. Purwosari, Giritirto, Ploso, H. Nugroho & Giyanto, 19 Jul.2008 ; 1 male ( MZB), West Java, Bogor Botanical Garden, 20 Nov.1999 , S. Kahono; 1 female ( MZB), West Java, Kuningan, Mandirancan, Seda , 06o80'S 108o27'E, 500- 550 m asl., Darmawan, 23 Oct.2008 . KRAKATAU ISLANDS: 3 males ( MZB), P. Anak Krakatau, Sk. Yamane, 29 Jul.1982 ; 1 male ( MZB), P. Anak Krakatau, J. Yukawa, 6 Nov.1982 ; 1 female ( MZB), P. Anak Krakatau, J. Yukawa, 8 Nov.1982 ; 4 males ( MZB), P. Rakata Kecil, Sk. Yamane, 29 Jul.1982 ; 1 female ( MZB), P. Rakata Kecil, Sk. Yamane, 28 Jul.1982 ; 1 female ( MZB), P. Rakata Besar, J. Yukawa, 31 Oct.1982 . BORNEO: 1 male ( MZB), East Kalimantan, Balikpapan, Mentawir river , A.M. R. Wegner, Oct.1950 ; 1 female ( MZB), East Kalimantan, Kutai, 38 km N. Balikpapan, Samboja, Darling, Rosichon, Sutrisno, Apr.1992 .

Remarks. – In the recent on-line checklists, such as Species 2000 & ITIS “Catalogue of Life” (http://www.catalogueoflife. org/search.php), E. conformis Smith, 1864 is often treated as a subspecies of E. inconspicuus Smith, 1858 . Such the taxonomic treatment, though it has never been published, is shown in the late J. van der Vecht’s typescript checklist (J. Carpenter, pers. comm.). Eumenes inconspicuus has been recorded from, in addition to Borneo in the original description, Thailand (Gusenleitner, 1988), Malay Peninsula, and Sumatra (von Schulthess, 1914, as E. punctatus de Saussure, 1852 ) and Bali (Giordani Soika, 1987), while E. conformis has been known only from the type locality, Ceram Island. If such a disjunct distribution pattern is the reality, we would have to assume specific biogeographic events that explain the absence of E. inconspicuus on Java and allow us to treat conformis as a subspecies (= formally named local population) of the species E. inconspicuus . Our specimens from Krakatau, Java, Sulawesi, Buru and Ambon infill gaps in the distribution records. Examination of above listed female specimens showed that variations in marking pattern are interconnected in every direction even within a local population. Consequently we have concluded to synonymize E. conformis Smith, 1864 , under E. inconspicuus Smith, 1858 . As they differ only in the characters that usually show sexual dimorphisms in eumenine wasps such as antennal shape, male and female specimens can be reasonably associated. Male characteristics are described below for the first time.

Diagnosis. – This species can be easily distinguished from other known Papuan species by having the first metasomal segment that is shorter, stubby and strongly swollen in the posterior half. Other diagnostic characters are as follows: clypeus with dorsal and ventral margin deeply emarginated medially; propodeum strongly convex, with median longitudinal groove deep; second metasomal tergum and sternum convex; tergum with preapical impression.

Male. – Body length about 8.5–12.5 mm; forewing length about 5.5–9.0 mm. Head in frontal view subcirculair, slightly wider than high. Clypeus in lateral view weakly convex, in frontal view about 1.25 times as high as wide ( Fig. 21 ); dorsal and ventral margin more or less distinctly emarginate medially. Labrum rounded apically. Mandible with the dorsalmost tooth long. Antennal scape about 4 times as long as its maximum width; first flagellomere longer than wide, about 3 times as long as wide.

Mesosoma subglobular, short and stubby, about 1.25 times as long as high in lateral view, about 1.25 times as long as wide. Pronotal carina obliterated dorsally, weakly produced anteriorly at humeral angles. Mesoscutum about as long as wide. Tegula convex, pointed posteriorly. Scutellum weakly convex, with median longitudinal depression. Metanotum nearly flat. Propodeum strongly convex; median longitudinal groove deep.

First metasomal segment not prominently elongate, about 1.2 times longer than length of mesosoma; in dorsal view rather strongly swollen posteriorly near mid-length, then only weakly widening towards posterior end, with apical width about 2.5 times its basal width ( Fig. 20 ) and about half the maximum width of second tergum; tergum and sternum separated by well-developed carinae along ventral margins of the tergum. Second metasomal tergum with well-developed apical lamella, with preapical impression; second sternum convex ( Fig. 19 ).

Body covered with dense silky hairs. Head strongly punctured, covered with long, erect hairs in ocular sinus, frons and vertex; hairs in occiput longer and sparser. Pronotum and mesoscutum with punctures slightly larger than those on head; scutellum and metanotum with punctures similar to those on mesoscutum; propodeum strongly punctured, with hairs much longer than those on other body parts. First metasomal tergum and sternum with punctures similar to those on head, covered with shorter hairs; second tergum covered with shorter hairs, with strong punctures similar to those on first tergum.

Head and mesosoma black, with following yellow and ferruginous markings: supraclypeal area, yellow; narrow band in dorsal half of gena along posterior margin of eye yellow; clypeus entirely yellow, except for semi-transparent apical lamella and small median spot both coloured ferruginous ( Fig. 21 ); labrum ferruginous apically, black basally; mandible ferruginous apically, dark brown to black basally; antenna dark brown to black but eighth to tenth flagellomeres ferruginous beneath, or black but ferruginous beneath; dorsoanterior part of pronotum, irregular-shaped scrobal spot on mesopleuron, band in the outer side of axillary fossa (sometimes absent), entire part of metanotum, paired large lateral spots of propodeum, yellow; tegula yellow, with dark brown band medially; parategula black, with dark yellow to ferruginous apex. All coxae black, but mid coxae with large yellow spot on dorsal face; fore and mid tibia yellow, but extensively marked with dark brown to black; hind tibia ferruginous; all tarsi ferruginous-yellow, darker apically. Metasoma black, with following yellow markings: medio-lateral spot and apical band of first tergum; paired large lateral spots and apical band of second tergum; apical band of second sternum.

Female. – In addition to the marking pattern given in the original description (Smith, 1858: 109), we have recognized variations among the specimens we examined as given below. The marking pattern often varied even within a given local population. The clypeus is black and has paired yellow spots basally ( Fig. 23a ), but the size of these yellow spots varies considerably; they are sometimes united to form a large basal spot with a ventro-median incision ( Fig. 23b ), or completely disappeared ( Fig. 23c ). The tegula is ferruginous-yellow or yellow with dark-brown median band; colour of parategula varies from yellow to ferruginous. The mid and hind coxae have or do not have a yellow spot dorsally. Paired spots on the lateral surface of the propodeum are sometimes fused to form a large spot occupying nearly entire part of the lateral side of the propodeum, but they are sometimes completely disappeared. In the specimens from Southeast Sulawesi, the apical band of the first metasomal tergum is reduced to narrow, short lateral lines.

Distribution. – Thailand, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Krakatau Islands (new record), Java (new record), Bali, Sulawesi (new record), Ceram, northwestern New Guinea (Manokwari: new record).

Figures

Figs. 19–23. Eumenes inconspicuus Smith. Male (19–22) and female (23). 19, metasoma, lateral view, 20, first metasomal tergum, dorsal view, 21, 23, clypeus, 22, apical part of antenna. Scale bar (for only Fig. 19) = 1 mm.