Antamenes

Male Antamenes jugulatus, from the Museum Victoria.

Belongs within: Eumeninae.

Antamenes is an Australian genus of mason wasps with an oblique postscutellum and the first metasomal segment distinctly narrower than the second. Members of the subgenus Australochilus have the distinction between the two segments more marked than in the type subgenus, as well as having the second tergite more heavily punctate (Giordani Soika 1962).

Characters (from Giordani Soika 1962): Mesosoma with propodeum weakly developed, postscutellum with oblique posterior section, generally well separated from the dorsal face of mesosoma. Tergite I with a fairly long petiole, followed by a strongly enlarged, bell-shaped section which (excluding petiole) is not much wider than long. Tergite II clearly, often considerably, wider than first. Male gonocoxite bearing tooth or strong preapical spine on ventral margin; aedeagus short and stocky, with well developed basal lobes.

<==Antamenes Giordani Soika 1958 C85
    |--A. (Antamenes) C85
    |    |--A. (A.) vernalis (Saussure 1853) (see below for synonymy) C85
    |    |--A. (A.) pseudoneotropicus (Giordani Soika 1943) [=Pachymenes pseudoneotropicus] C85
    |    |--A. (A.) tasmaniae (Giordani Soika 1943) [=Pachymenes tasmaniae] C85
    |    `--A. (A.) vorticosus (Giordani Soika 1943) [=Pachymenes vorticosus] C85
    `--A. (Australochilus Giordani Soika 1962) C85
         |--A. (*A.) citreocinctus (Saussure 1867) [=Odynerus (Leionotus) citreocinctus] C85
         |--A. (A.) amicus (Giordani Soika 1943) [=Pachymenes amicus] C85
         |--A. (A.) ferrugineus Giordani Soika 1977 C85
         |--A. (A.) flavoniger Giordani Soika 1977 C85
         |--A. (A.) hackeri Giordani Soika 1962 C85
         |--A. (A.) hostilis Giordani Soika 1962 C85
         `--A. (A.) jugulatus Giordani Soika 1977 C85

*Antamenes (Antamenes) vernalis (Saussure 1853) [=Odynerus vernalis; incl. O. (Leionotus) bisulcatus Cameron 1906, O. flavocinctus Smith 1857, *Antamenes flavocinctus, Pachymenes rectispina Giordani Soika 1943] C85

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[C85] Cardale, J. C. 1985. Vespoidea and Sphecoidea. In: Walton, D. W. (ed.) Zoological Catalogue of Australia vol. 2. Hymenoptera: Formicoidea, Vespoidea and Sphecoidea pp. 150–303. Australian Government Publishing Service: Canberra.

Giordani Soika, A. 1962. Gli Odynerus sensu antiquo del continente Australiano e della Tasmania. Boll. Mus. Civ. Venezia 14: 57–202.

Last updated: 16 May 2020.