Vespa maguanensis Dong, 2001: 82

Carpenter, James M., Dvořák, Libor, Kojima, Jun-Ichi, Nguyen, Lien T. P., Perrard, Adrien & Pickett, Kurt M., 2010, Taxonomic Notes on the Vespinae of Yunnan (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), American Museum Novitates 2010 (3709) : -

Vespa maguanensis Dong, 2001: 82 , figs. 1–5, female, male – “ Yunnan China ” (Kunming).

Described from the female and one male, collected 1998.XI.8, and compared to Vespa analis and V. analis parallela .

Diagnostic characters

Larger body, 36 mm in length. As mentioned above, a sample of V. analis in our collections had a range in (total) length of 18.6–37.1 mm. In the MNHN, workers of V. analis ranged between 28.9–32 mm (n = 6) and queens 33.7–36.7 mm (n = 3). It is therefore possible that the Vespa maguanensis measured was a queen while V. hekouensis was described from a worker. However, in the IUNH, workers from the same nest (collected in central Japan) ranged between 21.3–30.7 mm (n = 10) and queens of different nests (in Japan) 31.5–32 mm (n = 2) and queens in hibernation (in Laos) 25.7–30.1 mm (n = 3) in total length.

Clypeus broadly emarginate; median process thick and blunt. The variation in this feature has been discussed under V. hekouensis : the relative size of the process and emargination has long been known to vary in V. analis .

Distance between posterior ocelli [OOD] 0.5× the distance between ocellus and eye [IOD]; distance between posterior ocellus and occiput [OCD] 4× the distance between the posterior ocelli [OOD]. As mentioned above, a sample of 52 specimens of V. analis from the AMNH, IEBR, IUNH, MNHN and TARI had a range in these ratios of 0.29–0.44 and 3.4–3.8 .

Metabasitarsus 2.5× length of metatarsus II. As noted above, 59 specimens of V. analis in the AMNH, IEBR, IUNH, MNHN, and TARI had a range in this ratio of metabasitarsus 2.4–3.36× length of metatarsus II .

Penis valve strongly projecting laterad toward end, and paramere with fingerlike process at middle (digitus?). The aedeagus projecting strongly laterad apically is a standard feature in Vespa species ( Archer, 1989: figs. 34–38, 41–42; 1994a: fig. 4), and a fingerlike expansion of the digitus is common, including in V. analis ( Archer, 1994a: figs. 5.3–5.6).

The color and markings were not cited as distinguishing this species, and are indeed similar to V. analis nigrans du Buysson , which was described from Yunnan (du Buysson, 1903). Vespa analis parallela and V. a. nigrans are known to intergrade (Bequaert, 1939: 41).