Rhynchium carnaticum ( Fabricius, 1798 )

Sheikh, Altaf Hussain, Kumar, P. Girish, Thomas, Moni & Bhandari, Rita, 2017, Taxonomic studies on Vespid Wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespoidea: Vespidae) of Dumna Nature Park, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 117 (3), pp. 198-198 : 198-

20. Rhynchium carnaticum ( Fabricius, 1798)

1798. Vespa carnatica Fabricius , 261. Syntype, sex not mentioned, Tranquebariae ( ZMUC) .

1852. Rhynchium carnaticum ; de Saussure, 112.

Diagnosis: Female:Mesoscutum posteriorly and scutellum almost impunctate with few sparse punctures on posterior sides; metanotum somewhat compressed medially; T2- T5 with very minute sparse and shiny punctures on ¾ area and S2-S4 with distinct punctures, diameter of most of punctures less than interspaces.

Colour Description: Body brownish red with following black marks: spot on interantennal space, vertical line on lower frons, around ocelli, occiput, triangular mark on mesoscutum in front, transverse line along its apex, lateral sides of propleuron, epicnemium, propodeum in middle, basal area of T1, at base of T2, in between S1 and S2, base of S3. Legs brownish red with variegated black markings. Wings yellowish hyaline, deeper and darker towards base; apical margin of forewing slightly infumated.

Size (H+M+T1+T2): 14.5 mm.

Male: Head 1.05x as wide as long in front view; mandible with teeth not strong as in female; interocular distance 1.24x greater on vertex than at clypeus; clypeus more elongate and apex between two teeth slightly emarginate, width 0.90x length medially; POL 1.53x OOL; occipital carina come close to eye at lower side; apical antennal article hook-like, almost reaching to apex of tenth article in curved position; mid femur basally emarginate; stiff and stout hairs forms spine-like structures at apical margin of S7; apical tip of aedeagus rounded, parallel spines elongate without hairs. Other characters almost same as in female.

Colour Description: Colour pattern almost same as that of female except clypeus, transverse band at lower frons and scape ventrally yellow. Inner eye margin yellow and extending towards frons, ocellar area, vertex and temple.

Size (H+M+T1+T2): 10 mm.

Material examined: INDIA: Madhya Pradesh, Jabalpur district, Dumna Nature Park , 1♀ & 1♂, 15.iii.2015, Coll. Altaf Hussain Sheikh.

Distribution: India: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, West Bengal. Elsewhere: Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.