Sceliphron Klug 1801
Creators: name: Anagha, S.
name: Kumar, P. Girish
name: Binoy, C.
name: Mazumdar, P. C.
name: Sureshan, P. M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Sphecidae
Sceliphron

description: Genus Sceliphron Klug, 1801
Sceliphron Klug 1801: 561. Type species: Sphex (= Sceliphron) spirifex Linnaeus, 1758, designated by Bingham 1897: 235. Pulawski (2021) gives a list of the synonymy, which is not repeated here.
Diagnosis. Propodeum with U-shaped dorsal enclosure; both recurrent veins of fore wing received by second submarginal cell; spiracular groove absent; female without fore tarsal rake; tarsi with plantulae; body usually with yellow markings (Bohart & Menke 1976); clypeus of female apico-medially incised, with or without deep/shallow lateral incisions, followed by sublateral lobes (Figs 2, 11, 16, 21, 26, 33, 43, 52); clypeus of male apico-medially emarginate, with or without blunt lobes laterally (Figs 8, 31, 38, 49).
Distribution. Widely distributed in temperate and tropical regions throughout the world (Pulawski 2021).
Prey. Spiders belonging to the families Anyphaenidae, Araneidae, Argiopidae, Clubionidae, Heteropodidae, Loxoscelidae, Mimetidae, Miturgidae, Oxyopidae, Philodromidae, Pholcidae, Salticidae, Selenopidae, Scytodidae, Theridiidae and Thomisidae (Camillo 2002; Fateryga & Kovblyuk 2014).
Key to Indian species and subspecies of Sceliphron Klug
(Adopted from van der Vecht & van Breugel (1968) and Hensen (1987))
(Indian species S. neobilineatum Jha & Farooqi, S. paraintrudens Jha & Farooqui, and S. isaaci Jha & Farooqi are excluded due to lack of details in the descriptions; our efforts to locate the type material proved unsuccessful)
1. Last metasomal sternum of female with longitudinal carina as long as half length of sternum (Fig. 7); lower half of inner eye margin sub-parallel (Fig. 2); last metasomal tergum of male with pygostyle (Fig. 9); second submarginal cell of fore wing wider than third anteriorly (Fig. 3); mandibles without tooth on inner side............................................. 2
- Last metasomal sternum of female slightly convex, rarely with short longitudinal carina on apical third (Fig. 48); lower half of inner eye margin distinctly converging towards clypeus (Fig. 43); last metasomal tergum of male without pygostyle (Fig. 50); second submarginal cell of fore wing not wider than third anteriorly, if wider than third, then female mandible with distinct tooth on inner side.................................................................................... 8
2. Petiole in lateral view nearly straight, yellow, usually longer than hind tibia........................ S. rectum Kohl ... 3
- Petiole in lateral view distinctly curved (Figs 1, 15), usually shorter than hind tibia................................. 4
3. Metanotum with yellow band; propodeum with extensive yellow markings; first tergum usually with yellow band; hind tibia black.................................................................. S. rectum pulchellam Gussakovskij
- Metanotum, propodeum and first tergum black; hind tibia yellow on outer side.................. S. rectum rectum Kohl
4. Mesoscutum dull, ruguloso-striate (Fig. 12)................................................................ 5
- Mesoscutum comparatively shiny, regularly striate (Figs 4 & 17)............................................... 6
5. Interocular distance at vertex distinctly longer than first flagellomere.......................... S. curvatum (F. Smith)
- Interocular distance shorter.................................................. S. formosum formosum (F. Smith)
6. Petiole yellow to yellowish brown, rest of metasoma black; mesosoma usually entirely black (except on prontal collar) (Fig. 4)........................................................................ S. coromandelicum (Lepeletier)
- Petiole entirely or mostly black; mesosoma usually with extensive yellow areas............... S. deforme (F. Smith) ... 7
7. Yellow bands on first and second terga complete; post antennal tubercle with yellow spot.... S. deforme deforme (F. Smith)
- First and second terga mostly reddish brown to deep brown, paler on the posterior margin of remaining terga (Fig. 19); post antennal tubercle black.......................................................... S. deforme tibiale Cameron
8. Hind coxa normal or somewhat swollen, rounded on outer side (Fig. 44); inner side of mandible with more or less distinct tooth; propodeal side less sharply and coarsely striate............................... S. madraspatanum species group ... 9
- Hind coxa swollen on outer side, dorso-basally angulate (Fig. 27); mandible simple (except in S. arabs); propodeal side in most species more sharply and coarsely striate.......................................... S. spirifex species group ... 14
9. Mesepisternum distinctly rugose between punctures, dull, not shinier than propodeal side; with yellow mark below tegula................................................................................. S. caementarium (Drury)
- Mesepisternum more or less coarsely punctate (interstices in some species with microscopically fine punctation, but not distinctly rugose), as a rule shiny and usually more so than striate propodeal side; with or without yellow mark below tegula. .................................................................................................. 10
10. Tegula brown or black............................................................... S. intrudens (F. Smith)
- Tegula marked with yellow............................................................................ 11
11. Mesepisternum black, sometimes with more or less reduced yellow mark below tegula; scutellum and propodeum typically without yellow markings.............................................................................. 12
- Mesepisternum with distinct yellow mark below tegula; scutellum and propodeum with or without yellow markings..... 13
12. Pronotum with narrowly interrupted yellow band; metanotum with yellow band (Fig. 45).......................................................................................... S. madraspatanum madraspatanum (Fabricius)
- Pronotum and metanotum black (Fig. 34).................................. S. madraspatanum andamanicum Kohl
13. Propodeum typically with yellow markings (Fig. 53)........................... S. madraspatanum pictum (F. Smith)
- Propodeum black (Fig. 39)........................................ S. madraspatanum formosanum van der Vecht
14. Tegula and usually metanotum marked with yellow or yellowish brown (Fig. 22); metasomal petiole relatively short, about 0.8× length of hind tibia................................................................ S. destillatorium (Illiger)
- Tegula and metanotum black; metasomal petiole as long as hind tibia or little longer......... S. javanum (Lepeletier) ... 15
15. Hind tibia yellow (Fig. 25).................................................... S. javanum nalandicum Strand
- Hind tibia black..................................................................................... 16
16. Hind femur yellow with usually ill-defined fuscous mark dorso-apically; if entirely fuscous to black, then dark part angularly produced on inner side of femur, and rarely covers more than apical third on outer side... S. javanum javanum (Lepeletier)
- Hind femur with at least apical third black, dark part rather sharply separated from basal yellow part.................................................................................................. S. javanum petiolare Kohl
description: Published as part of Anagha, S., Kumar, P. Girish, Binoy, C., Mazumdar, P. C. & Sureshan, P. M., 2021, A review of the mud-dauber wasps of genus Sceliphron Klug (Hymenoptera Sphecidae) from India, pp. 61-85 in Zootaxa 4969 (1) on pages 62-63, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4969.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/4745790