Polistes (Polistella) lepcha Cameron 1900

Nguyen, Lien Thi Phuong, Kojima, Jun-Ichi & Saito, Fuki, 2011, Polistes (Polistella) wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) from mountainous areas of northern Vietnam, with description of five new species, Zootaxa 3060, pp. 1-30 : 7-9

Polistes (Polistella) lepcha Cameron 1900

(Figs 14–26, 86)

Polistes khasianus Cameron 1900: 415 , Ƥ, "Khasia Hills, Coll. Rothney", nom. praeocc., non Cameron 1900: 413. Polistes lepcha Cameron 1900: 506 . Replacement name for khasianus Cameron 1900: 415 .

Cameron (1900) described this species based only on the female. The male characters except for the genitalia were described by Das and Gupta (1989). Followings are detailed descriptions of the characters based on the specimens from Vietnam, and the nest is also described.

Material examined. VIETNAM: Binh Lu, Phong Tho, Lai Chau, 22° 21.5N 103°46E, 22.VIII.2006, LN, FS & JK [7 3, 62 Ƥ ( IEBR, IUNH), alt. 1600 m, Nest# VN-P-2006-7; 11 Ƥ ( IEBR), alt. 2000 m, Nest# VN-P-2006-9]; 6 3, 19 Ƥ ( IEBR, IUNH), Sa Pa NP (Silver Waterfall), alt. 2000 m, Nest# VN-P- 2006-3, 20.VIII.2006, LN, FS & JK.

Description. FEMALE. Body length 10.5–11mm; fore wing length 11–13.5 mm

Head in frontal view about 1.2 × as wide as high (Fig. 14); in dorsal view weakly swollen laterally just behind eyes, then narrowed posteriorly, with posterior margin shallowly and broadly emarginated. Vertex slightly raised in area among ocelli, slightly slope down behind posterior ocelli towards occpital carina; POD:OOD=1:2.2; POD about 1.4 × Od (Fig. 15). Gena in lateral view about 0.8 × as wide as eye (Fig. 16); occipital carina fine, evanescent in ventral one third of gena. Inner eye margins weakly convergent ventrally, in frontal view of head about 1.1 × further apart from each other at vertex than at clypeus. Antennal sockets closer to inner eye margin than to each other. Anterior tentorial pit slightly further apart from ventral margin of antennal socket than from inner eye margin. Clypeus in frontal view as wide as high (Fig. 14); in lateral view weakly convex (Fig. 16); length of lateral margin of clypeus lying along inner eye margin shorter than diameter of antennal socket. Malar space longer than diameter of antennal socket. Antenna (Fig. 17) with scape slightly more than 3 × as long as its maximum width; flagellomere 1 slightly more than 2.5 × as long as its apical width, longer than length of flagellomeres 2 and 3 combined; flagellomere 2 as long as wide; terminal flagellomere bullet shaped, as long as its basal width.

Pronotal carina sharply raised, produced dorsally into thin lamella in dorsal part, slightly sinuate backward on lateral sides, reaching ventral corner of pronotum. Mesoscutum weakly convex (Fig. 18), about as long as wide between tegulae; anterior margin broadly rounded. Scutellum convex, slightly depressed medially. Metanotum weakly convex, strongly depressed along anterior margin. Propodeum short; posterior face with shallow wide median excavation, of which width is about 0.4 × maximum width of propodeum; border between posterior and lateral faces bluntly angled, marked with slightly raised carina; propodeal orifice about 2 × as long as wide (measured at widest part), somewhat narrowed in dorsal half. Jugal lobe of hind wing rounded (Fig. 19).

Metasomal tergum 1 distinctly shorter than its apical width, in lateral view abruptly swollen dorsally just behind basal slit for reception of propodeal suspensory ligament; corner between anterior and dorsal face bluntly angled (Fig. 20). Sternum 2 in lateral view with dorsal margin slightly longer than its ventral margin; anteroventral corner in nearly right-angle (Fig. 20).

Clypeus with scattered large punctures, each bearing sharply pointed golden bristle. Mandible with several deep punctures. Frons densely covered with coarse flat-bottomed punctures. Vertex and gena with sparse strong punctures; punctures around ocelli strong and sparse; ventral one third of gena with sparse strong puncture. Pronotum with dense deep punctures; spaces between punctures very narrow, slightly raised to form reticulation. Mesocutum with coarse dense flat-bottomed punctures; punctures on scutellum and metanotum dense, smaller than those on mesoscutum. Mesepisternum densely with coarse punctures in posterodorsal part, barely punctured in anteroventral part; border between them distinct. Dorsal metapleuron with striae and sparse punctures. Propodeum with strong sharply-raised transverse striae; lateral face with strong punctures between striae, interpuncture spaces weakly raised to interconnect striae. Metasomal segments densely covered with minute punctures in addition to scattered small punctures (ill-defined on terga; more or less well-defined on sterna).

Color. Black, with following parts orange-yellow: clypeus except black margins, line on gena along posterodorsal margin of eye, narrow band along pronotal carina with branches running along posterior margin of pronotum, scutellum, apical bands on terga 1 and 5 (wide), orange-yellow. Legs black. Wings pale brown, weakly infuscate, slightly more strongly infuscate along anterior margin of forewing; veins dark brown.

MALE. Body length 10.5–11mm; fore wing length 11.5–12 mm.

FIGURES 14–26. Polistes (Polistella) lepcha . 14–20. Ƥ. 21–26. 3. 14, 16, 21. Head. 14, 21. Frontal view. 16. Lateral view. 15. Ocelli, eye and posterior margin of vertex. 17. Right antenna. 18. mesosoma, lateral view. 19. Jugal lobe of right hind wing. 20. Metasomal segments 1 and 2, lateral view. 22. Left antenna. 23–24. Terminal sterna. 23. Ventral view. 24. Apical part, lateral view. 25–26. Aedeagus. 25. Ventral view. 26. Lateral view. Scale 1 mm.

Structure as in female except: head proportionally smaller, more transverse, about 1.5 × as wide as high in frontal view (Fig. 21); eye strongly swollen laterally, inner eye margins about 1.4 × further apart from each other at vertex than at clypeus; gena narrow, in lateral view about 0.6 × as wide as eye, with weakly raised blunt ridge running along posterior margin of eye; clypeus in frontal view with apical margin slightly rounded, about 1.1 × as wide as high, covered with dense short golden hairs; antenna (Fig. 22) slender than in female; scape short, about 3 × as long as its maximum width; flagellomere 1 as long as length of flagellomeres 2 and 3 combined; flagellomeres 2 and 3 each longer than wide; terminal flagellomere elongate, slightly curved, about twice as long as its basal width. Metasomal sternum 7 depressed medially, without tubercle (Figs 23, 24).

Color. Similar to female, but antennal flagellomeres 5-11 reddish-brown to dark yellow beneath.

Genitalia. Similar to that of Polistes dawnae , but ventral serration of penis valves coarse and strong, especially in proximal half of penis valves (Fig. 25); penis valves in lateral view with dorsal margin and proximoventral margins both nearly straight (Fig. 26).

Nest. The following three nests were examined: Nest# VN-P-2006-3, Silver Waterfall (22°21.5'N, 103°46.5'E, alt. 1500-2000 m), Sa Pa, Lao Cai, 20.VIII.2006, LN, FS & JK; Nest# VN-P-2006-7 at alt. 1600 m and Nest# VN- P-2006-9 at alt. 2000 m, Binh Lu, Phong Tho, Lai Chau, 22°21.5'N, 103°46'E, 22.VIII.2006, LN, FS & JK ( Table 2 ). They were all collected along the Hoang Lien Pass road, where the nests were on the cliffs along the road and attached directly to rocks 1.3 to 4 m above the road.

Nest structural characters are as follows. Petiole single, terminal, with thin central core of plant fibers (in VN- P-2006-7 petiole with thick irregular central core of plant fibers, Table 2 ), enlarged strictly with adult salivary secretion, black and lustrous; salivary coating extending onto substrate and back of comb. Comb tough, pliable in texture, dark brownish gray, expanded from the petiole to form fan-shaped in ventral view, with ventral surface convex and dorsal surface deeply concave. Cells generally arranged in regular rows and hexagonal at open end, but partly irregularly arranged and some cells pentagonal; outer free margins of peripheral cells round; each cell expanded towards open end, with width at opening more than 1.5 × larger than that at bottom ( Table 2 ); cell wall about 0.03 mm thick. Cocoon cap slightly domed beyond rim of cell, pale green when spun, weathered with time to become pale gray.

Nest code Petiole Petiole Cell width at open Cell width at bottom Cell depth (mm)

length thickness end(mm) (n=10) (mm) (n=10) (n=10) (mm) (mm)

Mean Range Mean Range Mean Range Remark. This species is distinguished from other species of subgenus Polistella occurring in nothern Vietnam in having the combination of the following characters: propodeum with strongly and sharply raised transverse striae and strong punctures between the striae on lateral faces; border between the posterior and lateral faces of the propodeum well-defined and weakly carinate; anteriorly truncate second metasomal sternum; penis valves with strong serration along their ventral margins.

Distribution. India: Haryana, Meghalaya, Manipur; northern Vietnam.

Tables

TABLE 2. Measurements of nests of Polistes lepcha.

VN-P-2006-3	3.5	1.5 x 2.1	5.1	4.8–5.4	3.2	3.0–3.6	17.0	16.0–19.1
VN-P-2006-7	3.3	4.2 x 5.1	5.2	5.0–5.6	3.1	2.9–3.7	17.2	15.6–18.4
VN-P-2006-9	3.2	1.7 x 1.8	5.0	4.7–5.3	3.0	2.6–3.4	17.6	16.6–19.1