African Arthropods/Eumeninae

Potter Wasps of Africa (Eumeninae)

In 2009 and 2010, Carpenter et al. published a catalogue of African Eumeninae. In their introduction they wrote: "Since 1918, the date of Bequaert`s fundamental paper on the Vespidae of the Ethiopian Region, many of papers dealing with taxonomy, biology or faunistics of the Eumeninae have been published. As the authors have had different opinions concerning the definition of taxa, the taxonomy of the Ethiopian Eumeninae is in a confusing state. The aim of this catalogue is to summarize the present knowledge for a revisionary treatment in the future."

The catalogue included a key to the African genera, but it has 81 steps (more than 80 genera), and is difficult to use without a specimen under a microscope. Very few people, therefore, can reliably identify many of the genera from photographs.

Fortunately, since 2018, Marco Selis (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marco-Selis/research) has been publishing modern reviews of various African genera that include photographs of most of the species in that genus. However, the task of reviewing all African genera is huge and far from complete; there are still many genera that require review.

The photographs below show some of the diversity in this subfamily.

Potter wasps with a narrow petiole - maximum width of Tergum 1 less than half the maximum width of Tergum 2.

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  Afreumenes aethiopicus
• 
  Afreumenes sp. building a nest
• 
  Cyrtolabulus sp.
• 
  Delta emarginatum
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  Eumenes sp. visiting Persicaria capitata flowers
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  Katamenes niger
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  Micreumenes sp.
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  Pareumenes sansibaricus
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  Pseudonortonia sp. building a nest
• 
  Zetheumenidion sp.
• 
  Zethus sp.

Potter wasps with the first segment of the gaster (metasoma) broad at the posterior end - maximum width of Tergum 1 more than half the maximum width of Tergum 2.

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  Alastor sp.
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  Allepipona sp. nest
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  Ancistrocerus sp.
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  Antepipona sp. building a nest
• 
  Anterhynchium grayi
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  Anterhynchium fallax
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  Antodynerus spoliatus visiting a fairy bellflower
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  Chlorodynerus sp.
• 
  Eumenidiopsis sp.
• 
  Gibberhynchium masariforme
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  Gioiella sp.
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  Knemodynerus sp.
• 
  Pachodynerus erynnis
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  Paravespa sp.
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  Proepipona sp.
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  Rhynchalastor sp.
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  Rhynchium sp.
• 
  Stellepipona sp.
• 
  Stroudia sp.
• 
  Synagris cf maxillosa
• 
  Tricarinodynerus guerinii