Male Zeta argillaceum? - Delta higletti

Moved

… Jonathan Hoskins, 30 August, 2021 - 4:54pm

Eumeninae (actually something different) - Male

Not only size, but proportions and color pattern of the legs and of the gaster too are different from "standard" Z. argillaceum. I would not even swear this smaller species belongs to the genus Zeta (although this seems likely).
A female specimen could help to know more about the question. Very elegant insect anyway (like almost all Vespid wasps (-:)

… Richard Vernier, 19 April, 2006 - 12:13pm

Huh?

Richard, do you mean Zeta is in a different subfamily than Eumeninae? Are you aware of any other species that have been introduced to Florida? As far as I know, Z. agrillaceum is the only one established in the states.

… Eric R. Eaton, 19 April, 2006 - 5:19pm

No, no

I did not mean that at all. What I meant is that this one male is a true Eumeninae, but different from Zeta argillaceum. Now, whether this (new for the Guide) species too is an introduced one, and to which genus it belongs, remains open.
Maybe even a female specimen wouldn't help very much, for all these Eumeninae with a greek letter as genus name are all closely related: ditinctive criteria between them are rather subtle, often needing a high level of magnification. In the XIXth century, they were only so-called "sections" of Eumenes.

… Richard Vernier, 19 April, 2006 - 11:22pm

Thank you.

A very belated thank you for the clarification, Richard. You have been so amazing with the wasp IDs, and I have learned a great deal from your patient sharing of specimen characters. Thanks again!

… Eric R. Eaton, 27 June, 2006 - 3:58pm

...

I have sent the picture to Dr. Lionel Stange at the Florida State collection of Arthropods. He has done a lot of work with wasps and was involved in reporting some introduced species.
-Sean McCann

triatoma.blogspot.com

… Sean McCann, 20 April, 2006 - 12:36pm

...

I will most assuredly try to capture and slay one of these beasts for the good of our science and the enlightenment of Mankind.
-Sean McCann

triatoma.blogspot.com

… Sean McCann, 20 April, 2006 - 6:49am

Newsflash

I caught one of these and will likely forward it to an expert.
-Sean McCann

triatoma.blogspot.com

… Sean McCann, 21 April, 2006 - 9:18am

Delta (new for bugguide)

Jim Wiley at DOACS identified this as Delta rendalli (Bingham) 1902, which I believe was formerly a subspecies of Delta campaniforme. In Florida this is an introduced species, originating in Africa (Perhaps via Jamaica, as it was found there in 1979).
Anyway, this species was found in FL in 1981.
For more info see this article:
MENKE, A. S. AND L. A. STANGE 1986. Delta campanifme rendalli (Bingham) and Zeta argillaceum (Linnaeus) established in southern Florida, and comments on generic discretion in Eumenes s. I. (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Fla. Ent. 69: 697-702.
-Sean McCann

triatoma.blogspot.com

… Sean McCann, 21 April, 2006 - 2:07pm

Delta (new for bugguide)

Jim Wiley at DOACS identified this as Delta rendalli (Bingham) 1902
-Sean McCann

triatoma.blogspot.com

… Sean McCann, 21 April, 2006 - 1:49pm

This is correct

and the current valid name is Delta higletti rendalli.

… bdagley, 1 September, 2021 - 6:24pm