Polistes (Gyrostoma) rothneyi Cameron 1900

Polistes (Gyrostoma) rothneyi Cameron, 1900

(Figs 20–22)

Polistes rothneyi Cameron 1900: 410 (♂, Bengal, India, deposited in OUM, Oxford).

Polistes rufolineatus Cameron 1900: 411 (lectotype, ♂, designated by van der Vecht, 1964, Khasia Hills, Assam, India, deposited in BMNH, London). Synonymized under rothneyi Cameron, 1900 by van der Vecht, 1968: 102.

Polistes rothneyi yayeyamae Matsumura 1908: 6, nom nudum (holotype, ♀, Ryukyu Isl., Japan), syn. nov.

Polistes rothneyi grahami van der Vecht 1968: 104 (holotype, ♀, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, deposited in United States National Museum, Washington, DC), syn. nov.

Polistes rothneyi hainanensis van der Vecht 1968: 106 (holotype, ♀, Nada, Hainan, China, deposited in Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MCZ), syn. nov.

Polistes rothneyi iwatai van der Vecht 1968: 104 (holotype, ♀, Takayama, Japan, deposited in MCZ, Cambridge), syn. nov.

Polistes rothneyi gressitti van der Vecht 1968: 106 (holotype, ♀, Taihanroku, Taiwan, China, deposited in RMNH, Leiden), syn. nov.

Polistes rothneyi tibetanus van der Vecht 1968: 102 (holotype, ♀, Tibet, China, deposited in RMNH, Leiden), syn. nov.

Polistes rothneyi koreanus van der Vecht 1968: 104 (holotype, ♀, Seoul, Korea, deposited in University of Michigan, Museum of Zoology, Ann Arbor), syn. nov.

Polistes rothneyi sikkimensis van der Vecht 1968: 102 (holotype, ♀, Sikkim, India, deposited in BMNH, London), syn. nov.

Material examined. Southwest plateau group (Fig. 20): f. rothneyi: India: ♀, lectotype, Khasia Hills (P. rufolineatus Cameron, BM, type, no. 18.895a) Cam. coll. 1901-137; 1♀, Shillong, 6.viii.1903, 5.02 (RMNH); f.

tibetanus: China: 1♀, paratype, Tibet, 1954 (RMNH).? f. A: 1♀, Deqing, Yunnan, 28 km SE (28.315˚N, 99.1252˚E), 21.vi.2009, Blank, Liston & Taeger (SDEI). 2♀, Fugong, Yunnan, 24.viii.2003, 20046637-8, Q Li (ZJUH), 4♀, Ninglangningli, Lijiang, Yunnan, no. 20046553, -6554, -6556, -6557, 23.viii.2003, Q Li (ZJUH); 1♀, id., but 22.viii.2004, no. 20046541, ZS Geng (ZJUH).

Distribution. China (Yunnan, Tibet); India (Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Sikkim, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya); Nepal. (Carpenter 1996b)

Common yellow-black group (Fig. 21): f. hainanensis (Hainan): China: ♀, paratype, Nodoa, Hainan, vi– viii.1935, L. Gressitt (RMNH). 1♀, Baisha (19˚13'N, 109˚26'E), Hainan, 202 m, 21.vii.2011, no. hzs0700439, YH Zhong (CATAS); 1♀, Nanluo Village (19˚47'N, 109˚63'E), Nanyang, Hainan, 202 m, 6.vii.2011, no. 0 7008, WJ Zhu (CATAS); 2♀, Jianfenling Nature Reserve (18˚44'38”N 108˚50'36”E), Hainan, 980–1150 m, 13–14.vii.2013, C van Achterberg (RMNH). f. grahami: China: ♂, paratype, no.663, Peiping, Hepei, China, 193, Liu (RMNH); 9♀, paratypes, Kuatun, Fukien, iii.1946, Tschung, Sen (RMNH); 1♀, 1♂, Museum Paris, Kouy-chéou, Rég. de Pin-fa, Père Cavalerie, 1909 (MNHN); 1♀, Museum Paris, Kouyyang, Kouy-Tchéou, PP Cavalerie et Fortunat, 1906 (MNHN); 2♀, Tsé-Kou, Yun-Nan (Mgr Soulie), R Oberthür, 1898 (MNHN); 1♀, Rainforestry Path, Mt. Wuzhi, Hainan, China, 6.v.2010, JL Tan (NWUM); 2♀, 5♂, Quannan, Jiangxi, 1.xii or 27.xi.2010, SC Li (GSFA); 1♂, Yushan, Jiangxi, 1120 m, 20.vii.1985; 1♀, Mt. Tianzhu, Qianshan, Anhui, 10.iii–11.iv.2011, ML Sheng (GSFA); 1♀, Mt. Gutian, Kaihua, Zhejiang, 1–3.vii.2005, 200604253, XX Chen (ZJUH); 1♀, Nanyuechansi Temple, Yixing, Jiangsu, China, 2.viii.2010, JL Tan (ZJUH); 1♀, West Mt. Tianmu, Lin'an, Zhejiang, 7.vii.2000, 200103816, XX Chen (ZJUH); 1♂, Suichang, Zhejiang, 18–19.x.1973, 73057.4, JH He (ZJUH); 1♀, S. CHINA: NE of Guangzhou, Nankun Mt. Tree Res. (23˚40'N, 113˚56'E) Guangdong, 24.v.2012, c. 340 m, C v Achterberg (RMNH); 1♀, Dongxianfeng, Dongyang, Zhejiang, 28.vii.2010, JL Tan & XX Chen (ZJUH); 1♀, Mt. Wuyun, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 25.vii.2010, JL Tan (ZJUH); 1♀, Xiangshuwan, Kuankuoshui, Suiyang, Guizhou, 5.vi.2010, JL Tan (ZJUH); 1♀, Mt. Yuhuang, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 24.vii.2010, JL Tan (ZJUH); 1♀, Mt. Tianmu, Lin’an, Zhejiang, 3.vii.2010, JL. Tan (ZJUH); 2♀, Shunxi, Qingliangfeng, Lin’an, Zhejiang, 23.viii.2013, JL Tan (NWUM); 4♀, Mt. Nankun, Guangdong, 8.vi.2002, no. 20028901, -8904, -8906, -8787, ZF Xu (ZJUH); 6 ♀, Mt. Tai, Tai’an, Shandong, 23.vi.1997, no. 200011329, -325, -336, -320, -311, -245, Q. Li (ZJUH); 1♀, Taiyi Palace, Changan, Xi’an, Shaanxi, 25.iv.2011, GH Wang (NWUM); 1♀, Fengyukou, Xi’an, Shaanxi (NWUM); 2♀, Guanghuojie, Ningshan, Shaanxi, 2.vii.2013, JL Tan (NWUM); 14♀, Foping (33˚30'N, 107˚58'E), Shaanxi, 31.vii.2013, JL Tan (NWUM); 1♂, Zaoyuan, Yan’an, Shaanxi, 17.x.2010, JL Tan (NWUM); 1♀, 1♂, NWU Taoyuan Campus, Xi’an, Shaanxi, 4.ix.2010, T Zhou (NWUM); 1♀, Yichuan, Shaanxi, 9.vii.1980, YZ Zhang (NWAM); 1♂, Liping National Forestry Park, Hanzhong, Shaanxi, 15.x.2011, JL Tan (NWUM); 1♀, Mt. Hua, Shaanxi, v.1984, GQ Han (NWAM); 5♀, 1♂, Liyuanping, Mt. Qinling, Shaanxi, 18.viii.2011, JL Tan (NWUM); 17♀, 5♂, Jinsixia (33˚22'N, 110˚33'E), Shangnan, Shaanxi, 708 m, 24.vii.2013, JL Tan (NWUM); 2♀, Huishui, Guizhou, 25.vi.2009, 9.vii.2009, ZD Li (NWUM); 1♀, Qianyang, Guizhou, 18.vi.2009, PQ Shi (NWUM); 2♀, Mt. Dinghu, Guangdong, 17.vii.1985, YL Zhang (NWAM); 2♀, Binzhou, Hunan, YL Zhang, YH Chai (NWAM); 1♀, Yuelu Mt. Park (28˚12'N 112˚56'E), Changsha, Hunan, c. 300 m, 14.vi.2012, C van Achterberg (RMNH). f. gressitti: China: 1♀, holotype, Taihanroku, Formosa, 26.iv.1908, H. Sauter (RMNH); f. yayeyamae (possibly distributed in Ta i w a n) Japan: ♀, paratype, Iriomote Loochoo Island, Southern Ryukyu Is, 22.viii.1934, L Gressitt (RMNH). Distribution. China (Heilongjiang, Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong, Sichuan, Chongqing, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Hainan, Hebei, Hunan, Taiwan).

Northeast group (Fig. 22): China: 1♀, Lingxi (west tomb), Shenyang, 27.viii.2009, S. Li (GSFA); 1♂, Lingxi (west tomb), Shenyang, 15.viii.2008, S. Li (GSFA); 2♀, Qianshan, Shenyang, Liaoning, 27.viii.2006, YM Li, YT Zhang; 1♀, 2♂, Xinbin, Liaoning, 1.vi.2009, ML Sheng (GSFA); 1♀, Shenyang, Liaoning, 1991; 1♀, Kuandian, Liaoning, 7.vi.2007, SP Sun (GSFA); 1♀, Shenyang, Liaoning, 17.viii.2010, L Jiang (NWUM); 2♀, 3♂, Siping, Jilin, vi.1999, BZ Ren; 1♀, North Tomb, Shenyang, Liaoning, 18.x.2010, XB Nie; 1♀, Shenyang, Liaoning, 8.x.2010, SP Sun. f. koreanus: Korea: ♀, paratype, Seoul area, 25.iv.1954, GW Byers. f. iwatai: Japan: ♀, paratype, Sasayama, Honshu, 16.v.1953, M Miki from Prof. Iwata; 2♂, Japan, 1982, 1983. Distribution. China (Shandong (Weihai), Liaoning, Jilin); Japan; Korea. (van der Vecht 1968).

Remarks. P. rothneyi is easily confused with the closely allied species P. olivaceus, P. jokahamae and P. tenuispunctia. It is a polytypic species with a very interesting variable colour pattern. Van der Vecht (1968) treated them as 16 subspecies and two uncertain? subspecies A and B. Das & Gupta (1989) added one. Even though, these more than 17 colour forms still could not cover all the variation. Among them, seven “subspecies”, i.e. koreanus, tibetanus, gressitti, hainanensis, grahami,? subspecies A and B, are recorded from China. P. yayeyamae is possibly also distributed in Taiwan. The colour differences between grahami, hainanensis and gressitti, are very small and mainly related to the colour of the pronotum and the first metasomal tergite. The colour forms grahami and hainanensis overlap in Hainan and it is better to unite these colour forms. Even within f. grahami there are two colour patterns (mesoscutum with four stripes or two stripes) and are sympatric in China. The colour pattern of some specimens collected in Yunnan intergrades f. rothneyi and f. tibetanus having four reddish brown stripes on the mesoscutum but the first tergite mostly black (Fig. 19). However, one specimen collected in Yunnan (no. 20046541) has the head reddish yellow and the bands and stripes yellow with reddish brown tinge, what fits f. sikkimensis well. In addition, the two uncertain A and B forms show a more or less continuous variation series. Similar situation occurs between the specimens from northeastern China, f. iwatai (area on basal band and waved line on the second metasomal tergite often somewhat reddish) and f. koreanus (the first metasomal tergite black with a narrow apical band). It is interesting that the colour pattern of f. iwatai is very similar to that of f. grahami so that the latter can be considered transitional. Van der Vecht (1968) mentioned that the colour of the body ranges from paler or dark yellow through various shades of brownish red to black. He roughly divided the specimens into three groups i.e. yellow and black, brownish-red and more or less transitional forms. Our observations showed that the Chinese colour forms of P. rothneyi can be defined only by colour patterns that intergrade in some degree. This leads us to synonymize all (as far seen from China) as colour forms of P. rothneyi. Since it is difficult and tedious to describe the colour patterns in words, we prefer to show its variation in a series photographs (Figs 19–21). Referring to van der Vecht (1968), we divide the examined Chinese specimens into three colour groups i.e. Southwest Plateau group (brownish-red to black, distributed in southeastern China, Yunnan and Tibet), Common yellow-black group (widely distributed in the mainland of China spreading southward to Hainan and Taiwan, including f. grahami, f. hainanensis, f. gressitti and f. yayeyamae) and Northeast group (colour pattern between f. iwatai and f. koreanus, generally with reddish brown blotches, the first metasomal tergite black, at most with a narrow apical band; distributed in Northeast China, Shandong (Weihai), Liaoning, Jilin). For convenience we use the available names as colour forms for arranging the specimens into different colour groups. We did not find a colour gap between the Common black yellow group (Fig. 21) and the Northeast group (Fig. 22).