Alastor Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1841

Pannure, Arati & Carpenter, James M., 2016, Taxonomic studies on potter wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) of south India, Zootaxa 4171 (1), pp. 1-50 : 21

Genus Alastor Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1841

Alastor Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau 1841: 668 , genus (2 species). Type species: Alastor atropos Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1841 , by subsequent designation ( Ashmead 1902: 203–210).

Senior objective synonym of Antalastor de Saussure, 1856, and of Eualastor Dalla Torre, 1904 ; senior subjective synonym of Belalastor Atanassov, 1967 , according to Gusenleitner 1970: 112.

Diagnosis. Mandibles longer than length of clypeus, distinctly crossing each other. Clypeus wider than long, emarginate or truncate apically. Cephalic foveae absent. Vertex usually not sloping behind ocelli. Pronotum in most species produced at humari. Anterior face of pronotum without medial pits/foveae. Pronotal carina usually present. Mesepisternum without epicnemial carina. Parategula not visible from above. Tegula longer than wide, emarginate at posterior inner margin. Axillary fossa wide. Metanotum not dentate. In most species dorsal and posterior portion of metanotum delimited by a transverse carina. Propodeal dorsum below plane of metanotum. Superior carina absent. Propodeal orifice narrowly acute dorsally. Propodeal vulvuala and submarginal carina fused posteriorly. Metasoma sessile, T1 wider than long without transverse carina. SMC2 petiolate anteriorly ( Fig. 62 ). Prestigma shorter than pterostigma. Mid tibia with one apical spur. Ƌ: F11 hooked, rounded apically; F10, F11 shorter than previous ones; no cavity on inner margin of apical flagellomeres. Body length usually less than 10 mm.

Distribution. Primarily Ethiopian and Palaearctic, with a few species in the Oriental Region ( India and Sri Lanka).

Figures

FIGURES 55 – 63. Fore wing. 55, Labus pusillus; 56, Pareumenes brevirostratus; 57, Coeleumenes i. impavidus; 58, Phimenes flavopictus; 59, Oreumenoides edwardsii; 60, Allorhynchium argentatum; 61, Rhynchium carnaticum, 62, Alastor abditus; 63, Epsilon chikmagalurensis.