Sphecos: a Forum for Aculeate Wasp Researchers
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JULY 1993 SPHECOS AFORUM FOR ACULEATE WASP RESEARCHERS (Micropterocheilus) on my desk for The Mud D'aub Speaks ARNOLD S. MENKE, Editor Terry Nuhn, Assistant Editor more than a year. It is not totally satis A number of individuals responded to Systematic Entomology laboratory factory. Anyway, I am dividing it in half my "Cloudy future for Sphecos?" note Agricultural Research Service, USDA by taking out the five mostly all red spe r:Jo National Museum of Natural History cies (three new). That means more on the front page of Sphecos 24. Jus Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560 tin Schmidt of Tucson and Jacques FAX: (202) 786-9422 Phone: (202) 382-1803 work, including a rearrangement of il Hamon of Gaillard, France, both came lustrations." up with suggestions that may offer a means of circumventing the possible This postdoctoral research will take him James M. Carpenter (Dept. of Ento demise of Sphecos. Others sent unso some time to complete. due to the size mology, American Museum of Natural licited letters to my boss, Douglas Mill and complexity of the genus. Enrico re History, Central Park West at 79th er, telling him how important Sphecos turned home at the end of March, Street, N.Y., N.Y. 10024) reports: "My is to them, and the consequences for 1993. Eduardas Budrys of Vilnius, Lith study of the subgenera of Polistes is the world of wasp research if Sphecos uania, arrived at the end of October to nearing completion (June 15 dead were to disappear. To those of you who study our Pemphredoninae. Eduardas line!). Analysis of the subgenera shows responded, I thank you, your support is was only here for a little more than two four main lineages, Nygmopo/istes + appreciated. I don't want the newsletter. weeks unfortunately, but he worked long (Gyrostoma + Megapolistes), Po/istel/a to disappear any more than you· do. hours and accomplished much during + Stenopolistes, and (Polistes + USDA budgets for fiscal year 94 are his short visit. I was very impressed by Sulcopolistes) + the five American sub not yet known, but they will surely be these three young men, the next gener genera. Polistella and Po/istes are defi reduced from FY93 figures, but hope ation of sphecologists, and it was a nitely paraphyletic, and monophyly of fully Sphecos will survive somehow. great experience having them around. Nygmopolistes is only weakly support This issue includes an interesting All three left with much more baggage ed. Breaking Polistel/a, Aphanilopterus collecting report by Servia Amarante of than they came with! Servia and Eduar and Epicnemius into species-groups for Sao Paulo, Brazil. He has been survey das left the USA with brand new com analysis extends the conclusions to ing Hymenoptera in the dry area of puters. Servia had so much stuff I don't include rejecting Aphanilopterus and northeastern Brazil: the states of Bahia know how he managed to get it all on Epicnemius. I will reclassify the sub and Piaui. He has collected some amaz the airplane. genera into four, Polistes, Gyrostoma, ing wasps in the region, a few of which Polistella and Aphanilopterus. Biogeo extend the known distributions of three graphic analysis leads to rejection of sphecid genera far northward. This long the traditional center of origin in the neglected region is likely to contain Oriental tropics, in favor of gondwanian many more exciting critters. It is time to origin with the main split between the forsake the jungles and get into the Old World (African + Oriental) and New deserts of Brazil! World tropics." I had three long term visitors last year. RESEARCH NEWS Servia Amarante arrived in September Arkady Lele] (Institute of Biology & to begin his revision of the sphecid ge Richard Bohart (Dept. of Entomolo Pedology, Vladivostok-22 690022 Rus nus Penepodium for his doctorate. He gy, University of California, Davis, CA sia) writes: "I am now working on the was here about two months. In Octo 95616-8584) writes: "My paper on phylogeny and classification of the high ber, 1992, Enrico Negrisolo of Padua, Belomicrus has finally been typed. It is er taxa of Scolioidea with special refer Italy arrived to begin his revision of the nearly 50 pages doublespaced. I ence to Mutillidae, but first I must pre sphecid genus Uris in the New World. have had a manuscript of Pterocheilus pare my doctoral thesis before the end 2 SPHECOS25 of 1993. So I will be very busy this in the field. Following the field work with them, to learn of their problems year, but when I'm somewhat free I there will be visits to several collections and to have a look at museum manage want to prepare a paper on this prob in India. ment. Of course there is still lots to do lem. The preliminary results differ from in these scoliid collections, but this was those of D. Brothers: Sean O'Donnell (Dept. of Entomolo one step forward in better determining gy, 237 Russell Laboratories, 1630 Lin and arranging the collections. I want to Donald G. Manley (Pee Dee Res. & den Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706) thank all my colleagues at the Smithso Educ. Center, Route 1, Box 531, Flor tells us: "I recently returned from a nian and Cornell for their kind help: ence, SC 29501-9603) writes: "I blissful week of wasping on the upper am working on a revision of the Amazon and lower Napo Rivers in Lo Christopher O'Toole (Hope Entomo Dasymutil/a of North America. My trip reto Province, Peru. I noted the Ash logical Collection, University Museum, last summer was a 6-month study mead Club plaque at Peter Jensen's Oxford OX1 3PW, U.K.) reports: "Since leave (sabbatical), with the travel being Explornapo Camp; is there no place left October 1991, I have returned, after supported by an NSF grant. I am apply untainted? The (eusocial) wasp collect many years, to working on bee system ing for another NSF grant to help me ing was fantastic, as nearly every colo atics. At first, I entertained the fantasy finish the project (analyze the data and ny I encountered during the week was that I could carry on with the mutillids get it in print). I hope to have the final a new species for my life list. I regret as a side-line, but, as reality began to product in about two years. It makes for ted having to leave the fantastic diversi impinge, I had to admit to myself that I slow progress when I am able to de ty to return to late winter Wisconsin could not do justice to both bees and vote only spare time to the project. The style." mutillids in the time scale allowed for 6-month sabbatical allowed for consid me to complete the DPhil. Although now erable progress. The NSF grant, if ap Till Osten, (Staatliches Museum tor registered as a post-doc student, I am proved, will help support a graduate Naturkunde, Rosenstein 1, D 7000 Stutt required to continue with my normal cu student to work on the project. That, gart 1, Germany) writes: "While working ratorial duties, including the work on the too, will help speed things up." on phylogenetic questions in the group type series of aculeates split between formerly called 'Scolioidea' I have es the NHM and us. I have therefore had Arnold Menke is collaborating with tablished that taxonomy in the palaearc to come to terms with giving up the work Fernando Fernandez of Bogota, Co tic Scoliidae, even in the western palae on the Mutillidae. lombia on a manuscript that will provide arctic ones, is really a horror. To solve "I have now finished processing the keys in Spanish to neotropical sphecid these problems I have gone through Smith type series of Sphecidae split be genera and higher categories. Arnold many collections and much literature. tween us and the NHM and have made and Paul Hanson have completed a After talking about my problems with a start on the Cameron sphecids. I in general review of the Sphecidae of Cos Ron McGinley last May in Madrid, Karl tend to publish all this if I can find a jour ta Rica for the forthcoming book on the V. Krombein was informed of my situa nal still willing to deal with such large, Hymenoptera of Costa Rica (Oxford Uni tion and offered to have me to come to annotated catalogues. • versity Press), edited by Paul Hanson Washington to study the scoliids in the and lan Gauld. Arnold and Woj Pulaw Smithsonian. This trip from March 8-21 Colin Vardy (Dept. of Entomology, skl have begun work on their new cata was supported by a short term visitors The Natural History Museum, Cromwell log of Sphecidae. This will be a long grant from the Smithsonian. For me it Road, London SW7 5BD UK) reports: term project. The goal is to update the was really a great surprise to see that "Pepsis continues; the last major prob checklists included in Sphecid Wasps there where some series of very inter lem in the phylogenetics of Part 2 is vir of the World, with new taxa and new esting material from western and east tually resolved; to finish this part I need synonymy published since 1976. Type ern palearctic areas. Many species were to make a few more illustrations and information for all species taxa will be studied for the first time. With the kind write up the biogeography (which is ab included so far as possible. The bibliog help of Karl and Beth Norden I succed solutely fascinating). The taxonomy of raphy will include references for all pub ed in going through this material in about the entire genus (130 species) is fin lished names.