Parancistrocerus androcles androcles ( Meade-Waldo, 1910 ), Giordani Soika

P. Girish Kumar, J. M. Carpenter & P. M. Sureshan, 2016, A taxonomic review of the genus Parancistrocerus Bequaert (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) from the Indian subcontinent with the description of three new species, Halteres 7 (1), pp. 36-156 : 138-140

1. Parancistrocerus androcles androcles ( Meade-Waldo, 1910)

(Figs. 1-6)

Odynerus androcles Meade-Waldo, 1910: 103 , female (in subgenus Ancistrocerus), “Shillong, Assam [= Shillong, Meghalaya]” (BMNH).

Ancistrocerus horni Sonan, 1938 : 262, figs. 4- 6, male, “Kandy, Ceylon” (ZMB); Giordani Soika, 1941: 236 (syn. of A. androcles (Meade-Waldo)).

Ancistrocerus androcles ; Giordani Soika, 1941: 236 (in subgenus Ancistrocerus; syn.: Ancistrocerus horni Sonan, 1938; Burma).

Parancistrocerus androcles androcles ; Gusenleitner, 1988: 178 (Thailand); Giordani Soika, 1994: 159 (key), 195 (Sri Lanka; Burma; Vietnam; Malaya; Singapore; Sumatra; Java; Borneo; Sulawesi; Philippines); Gusenleitner, 2001: 659 (Thailand); Gusenleitner, 2006: 689 (India: Kerala).

Diagnosis: Female (Fig. 1): Occipital carina complete (Fig. 4); cephalic fovea a single deep pit; clypeus (Fig. 3) slightly wider than long, weakly convex, punctures superficial, with median area nearly flat, weakly emarginate apex and apical teeth short and triangular, distance between teeth 1/3 of maximum width of clypeus; dorsal face of propodeum (Fig. 5) forming horizontal area behind the midline of metanotum, with punctures large, shallow, flat bottomed, with interspaces carinate; posterior face of propodeum widely and regularly concave; vertical anterior face of T1 distinctly shorter than dorsal horizontal face; dorsal horizontal face of T1 about 1.5x as wide as its median length; T2 (Fig. 6) much wider than long, not reflexed at apex, with apical margin normal, not prolonged in middle; T1 and T2 with punctures much smaller than those of pronotum and mesoscutum, with interspaces on average equal to diameter of punctures; S2 convex at base, very weakly depressed after, with punctures larger and much more spaced.

Colour description: Body black with yellow and ferruginous markings. Yellow markings: spot at base of mandible; band at base and two specks (sometimes fused) apically on clypeus; lower side of scape; spot above space interantennal space; at ocular sinus; linear mark on tempora; band on pronotum; tegulae (except median ferruginous area); parategula; metanotum; at top of mesepisternum (sometimes absent); apex of fore and mid femora; outer face of all tibiae (sometimes reduced or absent); apical bands on T1, T2 and S2 (sometimes narrow bands on T3 & S3, rarely on S4 also). Ferruginous markings: lower side of antennal funicles; tarsi of all legs; tegulae (except yellow markings). Wings almost hyaline, fore wing with subapical fuscous cloud. Head and mesosoma with short tawny pubescence and erect whitish hairs of varying length with fine golden pubescence and sparse white hairs inclined.

Length (H+M+T1+T2): 6-7 mm.

Male: Clypeus wider than long, almost

regularly convex, with sparse minute punctures, apex slightly emarginate, distance between teeth 1/3 of maximum width of clypeus; apical antennal article finger-shaped, gradually narrowed to apex that reaches base of 11th article; pilosity more abundant than that of female; clypeus with long, thick hairs. Colour similar to that of female except mandible and clypeus entirely yellow. Other characters almost as those of female.

Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kozhikode Dist., Muthappanpuzha, 1♀, 27.ix.2012, Coll. K.P. Mohammed Shareef, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRS/I.R-INV.6948; Kozhikode Dist., Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kakkayam, 1♀, 8.xii.2015, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRS/I.R- INV.6949; Ernakulam Dist., Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary, Koottaampara, 1♀, 19.vi.2016, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRS/I.R-INV.6950. Tripura, Unakoti Dist., Kailashahar, 1♀, 30.v.1978, Coll. A. Issar, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRS/I.R- INV.6951.

Distribution: India: Kerala, Meghalaya, Tripura (new record); Sri Lanka; Myanmar; Thailand; Vietnam; Malaysia (including Sabah); Singapore; Indonesia: Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi; Philippines.

Remarks: A male specimen of this species was not available for our studies, hence the description was taken from Giordani Soika (1994).