An informational checklist of the social wasps of Nepal

[Anthony Daglio]

AN INFORMATIONAL CHECKLIST OF THE SOCIAL WASPS OF NEPAL

Information on the social wasps of Nepal is scarce and no recent reviews been done. I have compiled a species list of all species of social wasp known to occur in Nepal below. I will also summarize all the previously known data here. Yamane (1974) did a review of the hornet species in the genus Vespa in Nepal and recorded five species. Van der Vecht (1979) recorded an additional species Vespa vivax Smith. Further reviews on the taxonomy, distribution, and nesting biology of the Vespa species occurring in Nepal were done by Archer (1991, 1994, 1995, 1998a,b, 1999), and Das & Gupta (1989).

Several yellowjacket species occurring in Nepal were reported in Yamane et al (1980), Archer (1981,1982, 1997, 1998), Van der Vecht (1979), and Das & Gupta (1989). Van der Vecht (1979) recorded a male and four females of a possible subspecies of Vespula rufa and gave a brief description of the coloration of females and males. Archer (1981) described two new species: Vespula kingdonwardi Archer and Vespula nursei Archer as well as a new subspecies: Vespula rufa grahami Archer. However, the subspecies of Vespula rufa in Van der Vecht (1979) was overlooked by Archer (1981). Later, in a review of the taxonomy, distribution, and nesting biology of the Euro-Asian species of the Vespula rufa group, Archer (1997) had examined the specimens the V. rufa subspecies of Van der Vecht and determined them to be Vespula kingdonwardi Archer. During the course of my studies I have located a worker of Dolichovespula lama Du Buysson from Nepal in the Landes Museum, Linz: http://www.zobodat.at/belege_detail.php?id=6794415 This is the first record of any member of the genus Dolichovespula to be recorded from Nepal, and the first record of Dolichovespula lama Buysson in Nepal. NEW RECORD.

The Paper wasps of the genera Parapolybia, Polistes, and Ropalidia were studied by Yamane (1979), Later, Two new Polistes species Polistes rubellus and P. quadricingulatus were described from specimens found in India by Gusenleitner (2006). Specimens of Polistes rubellus Gusenleitner were later found in Nepal by Dvorak & Castro (2007). Regarding the paper wasps in the Genus Ropalidia, a few species have been recorded in Nepal by Yamane (1979), Van der Vecht (1979,) and Das & Gupta (1989). Recently, Gusenleitner (2001) described a new species of Ropalidia from Nepal: Ropalidia sculpturata. New distributional records were given for a few species in Nepal such as: Ropalidia sculpturata Gusenleitner and R. hongkongensis Saussure (Castro & Dvorak (2009) and R. rufocollaris Cameron (Castro & Dvorak (2010). Paper wasps of the genus Parapolybia (Parapolybia nadosa Van der Vecht and P. varia Fabricius) were recorded from Nepal by Yamane (1979), Van der Vecht (1979), Das & Gupta (1989), and Sasai & Rai (2004). A checklist to the Paper wasp species of the Genera Polistes, Parapolybia, and Ropalidia occurring in the Indian subregion was given in Yamane (1979).

It is in high hopes that more studies can be conducted on the social wasps of Nepal, especially on Dolichovespula lama Buysson a species which is known by very few specimens Archer (1992). A partial description D. lama Buysson is given in Archer (1980), Eck (1984), and Das & Gupta (1989). The distribution of D. lama Buysson is given in Carpenter & Kojima (1997) and Archer (1999, 2012). No adequate full description of queens and workers of Dolichovespula lama Buysson has been published yet, and males of D. lama Buysson are unknown and the nesting biology of this species is also unknown. Archer (1999) placed D. panda Archer in a species group with D.lama based on morphological characteristics of queens and workers of both species. Similarly, males of D. panda Archer are unknown and its nesting biology has not yet been studied. One new genus (Dolichovespula) is reported here for the first time with a new record of Dolichovespula lama Buysson from Simikot, Nepal. NEW RECORD

Papers including species of social wasps from Nepal:
1.) Das & Gupta (1989) The social wasps of India and the adjacent countries: http://www.academia.edu/10009873/Das_an ... _countries
2.) Van der Vecht (1979) Notes on the Vespoidea from Nepal: http://www.academia.edu/10016764/Van_de ... _Vespidae_
3.) Sasai & Rai (2004) Data for social wasp distribution in Nepal: http://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/110004500353/en

CHECKLIST OF THE SOCIAL WASPS CURRENTLY KNOWN FROM NEPAL

GENUS VESPA
a.) V. analis (F.)
b.) V. basalis Smith
c.) V. bicolor (F.)
d.) V. ducalis Smith
e.) V. fumida van der Vecht
f.) V. mandarinia Smith
g.) V. oreintalis (L.)
h.) V. tropica (L.)
i.) V. velutina Lepeletier
j.) V. vivax Smith

Papers on the Genus Vespa from Nepal:
1.) Yamane (1974) On the genus Vespa (Hymenopter; Vespidae) from Nepal: https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... pal_Kontyu
2.) Archer (1991) Taxonomy and bionomics of the Vespa tropica group: http://www.academia.edu/4333243/Archer_ ... _Vespinae_
3.) Archer (1994) Taxonomy, distribution and nesting biology of the Vespa bicolor group: http://www.academia.edu/4242480/Archer_ ... _Vespidae_
4.) Archer (1995) Taxonomy, distribution, and nesting biology of the Vespa mandarinia group: http://www.academia.edu/4333377/Archer_ ... _Vespinae_
5.) Archer (1998) Taxonomy, distribution, and nesting biology of Vespa orientalis: http://www.academia.edu/4242447/Archer_ ... _Vespidae_
6.) Archer (1998) Taxonomy, distribution, and nesting biology of Vespa analis: http://www.academia.edu/4242064/Archer_ ... _Vespidae_
7.) Archer (1999) Taxonomy, distribution, and nesting biology of Vespa vinghami, V.basalis, V.variabilis, V.fervida, V.luctuosa, V.multimaculata, and V.bellicosa: http://www.academia.edu/4333407/Archer_ ... _Vespinae_

GENUS DOLICHOVESPULA
a.) D. lama du Buysson (NEW RECORD): http://www.zobodat.at/belege_detail.php?id=6794415

Papers on the Genus Dolichovespula of Nepal:
1.) Archer (1980) A new species of Dolichovespula (Hymenoptera Vespidae) and subspecies of D.pacifica from China: http://www.academia.edu/1463335/Archer_ ... from_China
2.) Eck (1984) Bestimmungsschlussel fur die Arten der Gattung Dolichovespula ROWHER, 1916 (Hymenoptera; Vespidae) / A key to the world species of the Genus Dolichovespula (Hymenoptera vespidae) IN GERMAN: http://www.academia.edu/1464843/Eck_198 ... _IN_GERMAN
3.) Archer (1992) New information about Dolichovespula: http://www.academia.edu/7174609/Archer_ ... _Vespinae_
4.) Archer (1999) Taxonomy and distribution of the Euro-Asian species of Dolichovespula: https://www.academia.edu/1463405/Archer ... _Vespidae_

GENUS VESPULA
a.) V. flaviceps Smith
b.) V. germanica (F.)
c.) V. kingdonwardi Archer
d.) V. orbata Smith
e.) V. structor Smith

Papers on genus Vespula from Nepal:
1.) Yamane et al (1980) A tentative revision of the subgenus Paravespula of East Asia: http://www.academia.edu/1463552/Yamane_ ... _Vespidae_
2.) Archer (1981): The Euro Asian species of the Vespula rufa group with descriptions of two new species and one subspecies: http://www.academia.edu/1463618/Archer_ ... subspecies
3.) Archer (1982) A revision of the subgenus Rugovespula of the Genus Vespula: http://www.academia.edu/1463550/Archer_ ... _Vespidae_
4.) Archer (1997) Taxonomy distribution & nesting biology of the Euro Asian species of the Vespula rufa group: http://www.academia.edu/1463411/Archer_ ... _Vespidae_
5.) Archer (1998) The world distribution of the Euro Asian species of Paravespula: http://www.academia.edu/1463407/Archer_ ... _Vespidae_

GENUS POLISTES
GYROSTOMA
a.) Polistes olivaceus De Geer: http://www.vespidae.be/Polistinae/Polis ... vaceus.htm
b.) Polistes rothneyi Cameron: http://www.entomologiitaliani.net/publi ... t=polistes
c.) Polistes tenebricosus Lepeletier

POLISTELLA
a.) Polistes adjustus Bingham
b.) Polistes indicus Stolfa
c.) Polistes rubellus Gusenleitner: http://www.vespidae.be/Polistinae/Polistes_rubellus.htm
d.) Polistes quadricingulatus Gussenleitner: http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Ta ... xid=589543
e.) Polistes sagittarius de Saussure
f.) Polistes stigma (F.): http://www.entomologiitaliani.net/publi ... t=polistes https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnh ... tem/ey6615
g.) Polistes strigosus Bequaert
h.) Polistes tenebricosus (Gyrostoma)

Papers on the Polistes species of Nepal:
1.) Yamane (1979) Polistes wasps from Nepal: http://eprints.lib.hokudai.ac.jp/dspace ... _p1-37.pdf
2.) Gusenlietner (2006) Über Aufsammlungen von Faltenwespen in Indien: http://www.zobodat.at/pdf/LBB_0038_1_0677-0695.pdf
3.) Dvorak & Castro (2007) New and noteworthy records of vespid wasps from the Palearctic region 1: http://www.academia.edu/1463646/Dvorak_ ... c_region_1

GENUS PARAPOLYBIA
a.) Parapolybia nadosa van der Vecht
b.) Parapolybia varia (F.)

Papers on the Parapolybia species of Nepal:
1.) Yamane (1979) Polistes wasps from Nepal: http://eprints.lib.hokudai.ac.jp/dspace ... _p1-37.pdf

GENUS ROPALIDIA
a.) Ropalidia cyathiformis (F.)
b.) Ropalidia fasciata (F.)
c.) Ropalidia hongkongensis Saussure
d.) Ropalidia rufocolaris Cameron
e.) Ropalidia sculpturata van der Vecht
f.) Ropalidia spatulata van der Vecht
g.) Ropalidia stigma van der Vecht
h.) Ropalidia variegata Smith

Papers on the Ropalidia species of Nepal:
1.) Yamane (1979) Polistes wasps from Nepal: http://eprints.lib.hokudai.ac.jp/dspace ... _p1-37.pdf
2.) Gusenlietner (2001) Beitrag zur Kenntnis von Faltenwespen der orientalischen Region: http://www.zobodat.at/pdf/LBB_0033_2_0655-0662.pdf
3.) Castro & Dvorak (2009) New and noteworthy records of vespid wasps from the Palearctic region 2: http://www.academia.edu/1910875/Castro_ ... c_region_2
4.) Castro & Dvorak (2010) New and noteworthy records of vespid wasps from the Palaearctic region 3: http://www.academia.edu/1910877/Castro_ ... c_region_3

[Anthony Daglio]

Females of Vespa basalis Smith, V. bicolor (F.), V. fumida Van der Vecht, and V. tropica haematodes Bequaert.

[Anthony Daglio]

Workers and males of Vespula kindonwardi Archer and queens, and workers of Vespula flaviceps Smith.

[Anthony Daglio]

A queen and workers of Vespula orbata Buysson.

[Anthony Daglio]

Queens, workers, and males of Vespula structor Smith.