Delta

Delta campaniformis, copyright Graham Winterflood.

Belongs within: Eumeninae.

Delta is a genus of potter wasps widespread in warmer regions of the Old World, characterised by an elongate metasomal petiole, slightly longer than than the mesosoma, with tergum I largely impunctate, a single mid tibial spur, and an apically truncate clypeus. They build jug-like nests in sheltered locations such as the sides of buildings or crevices on tree trunks.

<==Delta Saussure 1855 C85
    |--‘Vespa’ emarginata Linnaeus 1758 [incl. Vespa maxillosa DeGeer 1775, Eumenes (*Delta) maxillosus] C85
    |--D. arcuata (Fabricius 1775) [=Vespa arcuata] C85
    |--D. bicinctus (Saussure 1852) [=Eumenes bicincta] C85
    |--D. caffer (Linnaeus 1767) [=Vespa caffra, Eumenes caffer, E. caffra] GS61
    |--D. campaniformis (Fabricius 1775) [=Vespa campaniformis] C85
    |    |--D. c. campaniforme C85
    |    |--D. c. assatus (Giordani Soika 1934) [=Eumenes campaniformis assatus] C85
    |    `--D. c. esuriens G84
    |--D. higletti (Meade Waldo 1910) (see below for synonymy) GS61
    |--D. hottentotus GS61
    |    |--D. h. hottentotus GS61
    |    `--D. h. concinnus (Saussure 1855) [=Eumenes hottentotus concinnus, E. lepeleterii concinnus] GS61
    |--D. incola (Giordani Soika 1935) C85
    |    |--D. i. incola C85
    |    |--D. i. aruensis (Giordani Soika 1935) [=Eumenes (Delta) ncola aruensis] C85
    |    `--D. i. teleporus (van der Vecht 1959) [=Eumenes incola teleporus] C85
    |--D. latreillei (Saussure 1852) [=Eumenes latreillei, E. (Delta) pyriformis var. latreillei] C85
    |--D. lepeleterii (Saussure 1853) (see below for synonymy) GS61
    |--D. nigritarsis (Meade-Waldo 1910) [=Eumenes nigritarsis, E. (Delta) pyriformis var. nigritarsis] C85
    |--D. philantes (Saussure 1852) [=Eumenes philantes] C85
    |--D. phthisicus (Gerstaecker 1857) [=Eumenes phthisicus] GS61
    |--D. transmarinum (van der Vecht 1959) [=Eumenes transmarinus] C85
    `--D. xanthurum (Saussure 1852) [=Eumenes xanthura] C85

Delta higletti (Meade Waldo 1910) [=Eumenes campaniformis higletti; incl. E. campaniformis marshalli Bequaert 1926, E. maxillosus pulcherrimus Schulthess 1910] GS61

Delta lepeleterii (Saussure 1853) [=Eumenes lepeleterii, E. lepeletierii; incl. E. campaniformis formosus Bequaert 1926] GS61

*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.

[G84] Gauld, I. D. 1984. An Introduction to the Ichneumonidae of Australia. British Museum (Natural History).

[GS61] Giordani Soika, A. 1961. Hymenoptera (Aculeata): Vespidae. In: Hanström, B., P. Brinck & G. Rudebeck (eds) South African Animal Life: Results of the Lund University Expedition in 1950–1951 vol. 8 pp. 440–451. Almqvist & Wiksell: Uppsala.

Last updated: 19 May 2020.