Sceliphron curvatum
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
Sceliphron curvatum

description: 3. Sceliphron curvatum (F. Smith, 1870)
(Figs 10–14)
Pelopaeus curvatus F. Smith, 1870: 187, Lectotype: ♂, India: North-West Provinces, now Uttar Pradesh: Mainpuri (BMNH), designated by Hensen 1987: 230.
Sceliphron deforme Basil-Edwardes, 1921: 293 (nesting habits), identification corrected to S. curvatum by Hensen, 1987: 220.
Diagnosis. Female. Frons distictly pilose, upper frons rugulose to inconspicuously striate punctate, sculpture on remaining frons not visible due to pilosity; clypeus apico-medially produced with median incision forming two lobes, yellow macula on upper clypeal margin (Fig. 11); pronotal collar dorsally with yellow band, medially notched; mesoscutum with irregular rugulose striae; scutellum with longitudinal oblong striae and distinct punctures, broad yellow patch antero–medially; metanotum irregularly rugulose; propodeal enclosure ruguloso-striate with shallow depression in middle, large yellow spot on posterior region of propodeum (Fig 12); mesepisternum finely striate to alveolate, coarsely punctate towards posterior region, yellow mark below tegula; propodeum side with rugulose striae (Fig. 13); metasoma with yellowish brown band on terga (Fig. 14); petiole black.
Male. Not seen in the present study. Similar to female except for petiole little longer (Hensen 1987).
Variability. Band on pronotum; patch on antero–median scutellum; large spot on posterior surface of propodeum are reddish brown in some female specimens examined here.
Material examined. India: Himachal Pradesh: Chamba Dist., Khajjiar, 1♀, 26.vi.2012, Coll. D. Banerjee and Party, NZC Regd. No. 15580/H3; Kangra Dist., Kangra Valley, 6♀, May1899, Coll. Dudgeon, NZC Regd. Nos. 15610/H3–15616/H3; Shimla Dist., 1♀, viii.1925, Coll. B.C. Chopra, NZC Regd. No. 15617/H3; Chamba Dist., Khajjiar, 1♀, 29.vi.1965, Coll. D. Ram, NZC Regd. No. 15618/H3. Jammu and Kashmir: N-W Himalayas, 1♀, 1915, H. T. Pease, NZC Regd. No. 15619/H3; Srinagar Dist., Pari Mahal, 1♀, 10.x.2020, Coll. A. H. Sheikh, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/ WGRC /I. R.–INV. 17126. Uttarakhand: Nainital Dist., Nainital, 2♀, 1908, Coll. R. E. Lloyd, NZC Regd. Nos. 15579/H3 and 15620/H3; Dehradun Dist., Mussorie, 3♀, 20.v.1905 and 20.vi.1906, Coll. Brunetti, NZC Regd. Nos. 15621/H3–15623/H3.
Distribution. India: Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh. Elsewhere: Afghanistan; Argentina; Austria; Belarus; Belgium; Bulgaria; Chile; Croatia; Czech Republic; France; French Polynesia; Georgia; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Iraq; Italy; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Lithuania; Montenegro; Nepal; Netherland; Pakistan; Poland; Portugal; Russia; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Switzerland; Tajikistan; Turkey; Ukraine; Uzbekistan (Pulawski 2021).
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 page 66, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4969.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/4745790