Ropalidia variegata (Smith, 1852)

Tan, Jiang-Li, Van Achterberg, Kees & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2014, Pictorial key to species of the genus Ropalidia Guerin-Meneville, 1831 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) from China, with description of one new species, ZooKeys 391, pp. 1-35 : 25

Ropalidia variegata (Smith, 1852) Figure 2J

Epipona variegata Smith, 1852: 48. Type locality: India (Poona).

Icaria variegata ; de Saussure 1854: 237.

Ropalidia variegata ; Bequaert 1918: 247; van der Vecht 1941: 104; Kojima et al. 2007: 387.

Ropalidia variegata variegata ; van der Vecht 1941: 112.

Icaria pendula Smith, 1857: 98. Type locality: India (Barelly). Syn. by van der Vecht (1941).

Ropalidia pendula ; Richards 1978: 58.

Specimens examined.

INDIA: 1 ♀, Type, 60-15, E.I.C., with a handwritten label "variegata Type, Sm.", Capt. F. Downes, BM Type 18.846, van der Vecht (1941) recorded it is Holotype, locality: Poona, India; 1 ♂, India, with a label: " Ropalidia pendula Smith" (BMNH); 1 ♀ (RMNH), India, Pinjore, (identified as Ropalidia variegata by Dover, 1921). PAKISTAN: 1 ♀ (RMNH), Karachi, 25.i.1934, R Malaise.

Remarks.

No specimens from China were available, but the species is included in the key because it has been listed for China. Liu (1936-37) listed Ropalidia variegata (Smith) from China in his catalogue and Ropalidia variegata variegata (Smith) was reported from China by Lee (1982, 1985). However, considering that Lee (1982, 1985)'s description of the male antenna with its hooked terminal segment, we suspect misidentification of Ropalidia variegata .

Distribution.

China; India; Malay Peninsula; Myanmar; Nepal; Pakistan; Sulawesi. ( Kojima and Carpenter 1997 and updated to 2006).