Antepipona biguttata
Creators: name: Kumar, Girish P.
name: Carpenter, James M.
name: Sureshan, Pavittu M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Eumenidae
Antepipona
Antepipona biguttata

description: 3. Antepipona biguttata (Fabricius, 1787)
(Figs 1–12)
Vespa biguttata Fabricius 1787: 291, “China” (Ƌ, UZMC); Olivier 1792: 689; Fabricius 1793: 272; 1804: 267; de Saussure 1853: 265 (unidentified species); 1855: 277 (? synonym of Odynerus bipustulatus de Saussure, 1855); Dalla Torre 1894: 139 (cat.); 1904: 66 (cat.); Schulz 1912: 83, 100 (types examined; 2 specimens belonging to 2 species of Odynerus; no descriptive notes).
Odynerus biguttatus: Schulz 1912: 100; Liu 1936: 106 (cat.).
Odontodynerus biguttatus: van der Vecht 1959: 241, fig 3 (redescription of type); Iwata 1964: 344 (ethology).
Antepipona biguttata: van der Vecht & Fischer 1972: 71 (cat.); Madl 1995: 398 (Thailand); Kim & Yamane 2003: 288, figs 1– 8 (syn.: A. biguttata takaoensis; China; spec. from Korea); Gusenleitner 2006a: 690 (India: Karnataka, Meghalaya); 2011: 1360 (Laos); Nguyen et al. 2014: 8 (list).
Antepipona injucunda Giordani Soika 1973: 104, ♀, Ƌ, “ China; Wa-sha-toui, Kwan-tung” (ZMB); Giordani Soika 1982: 205, 207 (key), 222 (syn. of A. biguttata).
Antepipona biguttata biguttata: Giordani Soika 1982: 205, 207 (key), 221, figs 16–22 (syn.: A. injucunda; China; Vietnam; Myanmar; Malaysia; India); Gusenleitner 1988: 179 (Thailand); Lambert 2004: 555 (key).
Antepipona biguttata takaoensis Giordani Soika 1982: 207 (key), 224, ♀, Ƌ, “ Formosa: Takao” (holotype, ♀, MSNV); Kim & Yamane 2003: 287, 288 (syn. of nominotypical subspecies); Lambert 2004: 555 (key).
Anterhynchium ovalis: Yamane & Wang 1996: 62. Misidentification.
Antepipona excelsa keralensis Lambert 2004: 562 –564, ♀, holotype (ZSIK), examined. Syn. nov.
Diagnosis. ♀. Clypeus as wide as long, with two longitudinal carinae originating from middle (Fig. 2); metanotal teeth bigger, distance between teeth about as equal as distance between each tooth and lateral metanotal margin; head and mesosoma moderately punctate (Fig. 4); curved transverse carina on either side of posterior portion of propodeum (Fig. 5); anterior face of pronotum with horizontal series of punctures on middle third, close to each other and separated by subtle carinae (Fig. 3); characteristic pattern of yellow bands on body (Fig. 1).
Colour. Body black with yellow markings. Yellow regions: base of mandibles; large transverse mark on base and pair of small spots at apex of clypeus, apical marks sometimes absent; mark from base of clypeus to front along inner margin of eye up to top of eye emargination; large quadrangular spot on front above antenna; long mark on temple towards vertex; ventral side of scape; pair of triangular mark on horizontal part of pronotum, sometime fused at middle; subcircular spot on mesopleuron; tegula except at centre brown or black; parategula; pair of large spots at scutellum and small spots on metanotum; longitudinal band on propodeum laterally; mark on mid coxa; apical half of fore and mid femur ventrally; all tibia at outer side; narrow band at apex on T1, wider at middle; wider band at apex of T2, S2, which greatly enlarged at middle and on sides; two spots on either side of base of T2 laterally; T3 with narrow apical band, enlarged at sides, sometimes thin median part disappearing; T4 with narrow, almost regular apical band, sometimes abbreviated to sides; T5 with semicircular stain at middle of apical margin. Legs yellowish brown to brown except yellow at outer side of hind basitarsus.
Ƌ. Similar to ♀ except that clypeus slightly concave at base and more deeply emarginated at apex (Fig. 8); apical antennal article large, arcuate, gradually tapered from base to apex, which almost reaching base of 10th article (Fig. 9). Colour differing from ♀ in having clypeus entirely yellow; mandible almost entirely yellow except brown at inner margin; yellow mark at lower front inverted triangular shaped and touching to base of clypeus (Fig. 7).
Size (H+M+T1+T2). ♀ 6–7 mm; Ƌ 6–7 mm.
Material examined. Holotype of Antepipona excelsa keralensis, ♀, “ INDIA: Kerala, Parambikulam ”, Regd. No. ZSI/ WGRC /I.R. – INV.1922; ZSIC 1.0103 (Figs 10–12) (ZSIK). INDIA: Arunachal Pradesh, Papumpare district, Naharlagun, 1Ƌ, 25.viii.1998, Coll. A.R. Lahiri & Party, NZC No. 16113/H3; Lower Dibang Valley district, Roing, 1♀, 20.ix.2002, Coll. M. Sil & Party, NZC No. 16114/H3. Bihar, Katihar district, Bhogaon, 1Ƌ, 1♀, 3.x.1908, Coll. C.A. Paiva, NZC Nos. 368/H3, 385/H3. Kerala: Palakkad district, Silent Valley, 1♀, 1Ƌ, 15.i.1980, Coll. K.R. Rao & Party, NZC Nos. 16115/H3, 16116/H3; Kannur district, Thekkumbad, 1♀, 7.xi.2002, Coll. K.C. Gopi & Party, NZC No. 16117/H3; Palakkad district, Chittoor, 1♀, 10.ix.2010, Coll. K. Rajmohana & Party, NZC No. 16118/H3; Kozhikode district, Nanminda, 4♀, 3Ƌ, 5.xi.2011 & 6.x.2014, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, NZC Nos. 16119/H3–16125/H3. Manipur, exact locality, date of collection and name of collector unknown, 1♀, NZC No. 16126/H3; Imphal Valley, 1♀, 31.viii.1945, Coll. M.L. Roonwal, NZC No. 16127/H3; Imphal West district, Kangchup, 1♀, 9.x.1976, Coll. Unknown, NZC No. 16128/H3; Erioshemba, 1♀, 11.x.1976, Coll. S. Jankan, NZC No. 16129/H3. Odisha, Puri district, Satpara, 1♀, 18.ix.1913, Coll. N. Annandale, NZC No. 379/H3. Sikkim, exact locality unknown, 4♀, July 1897, Coll. Dudgeon, NZC Nos. 16130/H3–16133/H3; East Sikkim district, Ranipool, 1♀, 22.v.1994, Coll. B.C. Das & Party, NZC No. 16134/H3; East Sikkim district, Rangpo, 1♀, 14.ix.1978, Coll. A.N.T. Joseph & Party, NZC No. 16171/H3. Tamil Nadu, Nilgiri district, Devala, 1Ƌ, v.1961, Coll. P.S. Nathan, NZC No. 16135/H3; Nilgiri Hills, Mango Range, 3 800’, 1♀, v.1949, Coll. P.S. Nathan (AMNH). Tripura, West Tripura district, Agartala, 1♀, 10.xii.1977, Coll. M. Muraleedharan & Party, NZC No. 16136/H3; North Tripura district, Dharmanagar, 1Ƌ, 1.v.1978, Coll. J.K. Jonathan & Party, NZC No. 16137/H3; Gomati district, Udaipur, 1Ƌ, 14.v.1978, Coll. A. Issar, NZC No. 16138/H3; South Tripura district, Garjee, 2♀, 15.v.1978, Coll. J.K. Jonathan & Party, NZC No. 16139/H3, 16140/H3; South Tripura district, Belonia, 1Ƌ, 15–18.v.1978, Coll. J.K. Jonathan & Party, NZC No. 16141/H3; Khowai district, Teliamura, 4♀, 1Ƌ, 18–20.v.1978, Coll. J.K. Jonathan & Party, NZC Nos. 16142/H3–16146/H3; West Tripura district, Baramura, 1♀, 22.v.1978, Coll. A. Issar, NZC No. 16147/H3; Dhalai district, Ambassa, 11Ƌ, 1♀, 25.v.1978, Coll. J.K. Jonathan & Party, NZC Nos. 16148/H3– 16159/H3; Dhalai district, Ambassa, 4Ƌ, 1♀, 25.v.1978, Coll. A. Issar, NZC Nos. 16160/H3–16164/H3; West Tripura district, Pulinpur, 1♀, 10.v.1992, Coll. J.K. Jonathan & Party, NZC No. 16165/H3; Khowai district, Teliamura, 1Ƌ, 20.v.1978, Coll. J.K. Jonathan & Party, NZC No. 16454/H3. Uttar Pradesh, Balrampur district, Jaitapur, 1Ƌ, 9.x.2000, Coll. S.I. Kazmi & Party, NZC No. 16166/H3. West Bengal, S–24 Parganas district, Lakshmikantapur, 1Ƌ, 15.x.1965, Coll. Unknown, NZC No. 16167/H3; Purulia district, Ajodhya Hill, 1♀, 3.xi.1985, Coll. M. Dutta & Party, NZC No. 16168/H3; Bardhhaman district, Kaichar, 1♀, 5.ix.1986, Coll. K.K. Ray & Party, NZC No. 16169/H3; S–24 Parganas district, Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve, Pakhirala, 1Ƌ, 3.viii.2013, Coll. Gaurav Sharma & Party, NZC No. 16170/H3.
Distribution. India: * Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, * Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Meghalaya, * Odisha, * Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, * Tripura, * Uttar Pradesh, * West Bengal; China; Korea; Laos; Malaysia; Myanmar; Taiwan; Thailand; Vietnam.
Ethology. In this study we observed an interesting behavior, i.e., parasitic association of strepsipteran insects, for the first time in the genus Antepipona. Female strepsipteran parasites were observed under the metasomal terga segment of Antepipona biguttata in one ♀ specimen from Manipur (Fig. 10). The ♀ strepsipteran endoparasites are larviform, leg–less and wing–less, without eyes, antennae and external genitalia. In fig 10 the ♀ strepsipteran parasite is seen as partially projecting out from wasp’s metasoma.
description: Published as part of Kumar, Girish P., Carpenter, James M. & Sureshan, Pavittu M., 2016, A taxonomic review of the genus Antepipona de Saussure, 1855 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) from India, pp. 501-536 in Zootaxa 4150 (5) on pages 504-507, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4150.5.1, http://zenodo.org/record/272127