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Five new species of Metapolybia are described, Metapolybia carpenteriana, Andena & Noll, sp. nov. (Ecuador, Peru), Metapolybia pseudodocilis Cortes, sp. nov. (Bolivia), Metapolybia richardsi Andena, sp. nov. (Ecuador), Metapolybia sulamerica Carpenter, sp. nov. (Colombia), Metapolybia zucchiana Andena & Carpenter, sp. nov. (Panama), in addition to the hitherto unknown males of M. bromelicola, M. encantata, M. mesoamerica, M. servilis and M. rufata plus two new species. Comparative remarks for the species are given.

Abstract Tetraopes longhorn beetles are known for their resistance to milkweed plant toxins and their coevolutionary dynamics with milkweed plants (Asclepias). This association is considered a textbook example of coevolution, in which each species of Tetraopes is specialized to feed on one or a few species of Asclepias. A major challenge to investigating coevolutionary hypotheses and conducting molecular ecology studies lies in the limited understanding of the evolutionary history and biogeographical patterns of Tetraopes. By integrating genomic, morphological, paleontological, and geographical data, we present a robust phylogeny of Tetraopes and their relatives, using three inference methods with varying subsets of data, encompassing 2–12 thousand UCE loci. We elucidate the diversification patterns of Tetraopes species across major biogeographical regions and their colonization of the American continent. Our findings suggest that the genus originated in Central America approximately 21 million years ago during the Miocene and diversified from the Mid-Miocene to the Pleistocene. These events coincided with intense geological activity in Central America. Additionally, independent colonization events in North America occurred from the Late Miocene to the early Pleistocene, potentially contributing to the early diversification of the group. Our data suggest that a common ancestor of Tetraopini migrated into North America, likely facilitated by North Atlantic land bridges, while closely related tribes diverged in Asia and Europe during the Paleocene. Establishing a robust and densely sampled phylogeny of Tetraopes beetles provides a foundation for investigating micro- and macroevolutionary phenomena, including clinal variation, coevolution, and detoxification mechanisms in this ecologically important group.

A taxonomic study on the Afrotropical genera Afrepipona Giordani Soika, 1965 and Afrepsilon gen. nov. is presented. Twenty new species are described, of which 15 are in Afrepipona (Afrepipona anomala sp. nov., Afrepipona cellularis sp. nov., Afrepipona clonata sp. nov., Afrepipona cuprea sp. nov., Afrepipona lamellata sp. nov., Afrepipona lamptula sp. nov., Afrepipona lobulata sp. nov., Afrepipona meridionalis sp. nov., Afrepipona occidentalis sp. nov., Afrepipona orientalis sp. nov., Afrepipona punctatissima sp. nov., Afrepipona scabra sp. nov., Afrepipona segregata sp. nov., Afrepipona ulterior sp. nov., Afrepipona vulcanica sp. nov.) and five are in Afrepsilon (Afrepsilon aterrimum gen. et sp. nov., Afrepsilon ferrugineoaureum gen. et sp. nov., Afrepsilon hybridum gen. et sp. nov., Afrepsilon minor gen. et sp. nov., and Afrepsilon pictum gen. et sp. nov.). Afrepipona lamptoensis Giordani Soika, 1965 is withdrawn from synonymy with A. angusta (de Saussure, 1863) and subsequently revalidated. Afrepipona unifasciata Gusenleitner, 2012 is transferred to the genus Antodynerus de Saussure, 1855 (Antodynerus unifasciatus comb. nov.). Keys to all known species are provided.

In this paper, a total of five species of the genus Paraleptomenes Giordani Soika, 1970 is reported from China, including two new species and two newly recorded species. The two new species P. setaceus sp. nov. and P. transfoveolus sp. nov. are described and illustrated in detail. P. darugiriensis Kumar, Carpenter & Sharma, 2014 and P. nurseanus montanus Giordani Soika, 1994 are first recorded from China. Photos of the type specimen of P. kosempoensis (Schulthess, 1934) deposited in the American Museum of Natural History are provided. Furthermore, a key to the world species of Paraleptomenes is updated.

Celonites ivanovi sp. nov. is described as a new species from Dagestan where it has been recorded from dry habitats in a small area on the northern side of the Greater Caucasus. Celonites cagrii sp. nov. is described from Erzurum Province in east Turkey. As in other members of the C. cyprius-group, the females of both species were observed to visit flowers of Heliotropium (Boraginaceae). A morphological examination including the male genitalia of all species of the C. cyprius-group revealed that C. ivanovi sp. nov. and C. cagrii sp. nov. share the apomorphic characters of this group and are closely related to Celonites osseus Morawitz, 1888. Mean genetic distance between C. ivanovi sp. nov. and C. cagrii sp. nov. based on COI-5 sequences is 7.40%. The geographical distribution of all members of the C. cyprius-group is summarized and an illustrated key is provided for the identification of males and females of the species. A lectotype is designated for C. osseus.

An illustrated identification key to the genera of potter wasps occurring in Australia is presented. Hitherto there has been no published key to these genera, making routine identification impossible, and allowing taxonomic study of these wasps to be carried out only by specialists. This has greatly inhibited biological study of these wasps, which are known to exhibit interesting behavioural ecology. For the same reason, their use as biological control agents has scarcely been investigated. And as a result, the conservation status of any of the species is unknown. Our aim is that this key should begin to rectify this situation.

Zethus is the largest genus in Vespidae with over 270 species. It is currently divided into four subgenera: Z. (Zethus), Z. (Zethoides), Z. (Zethusculus) and Z. (Madecazethus). While the last three are restricted to certain biogeographic areas, the first is spread through western and eastern hemispheres. Studies have shown possible phylogenetic incongruence regarding this current division and even raised the possibility of paraphyly in the genus. To evaluate this classification, morphological pasimony analyses under implied weights was carried out, examining external morphology and male genitalia. Analyses showed paraphyly of the genus under various “k” values and paraphyly of two subgenera. Ischnocoelia and Ctenochilus are lowered to subgenera of Zethus. Zethus (Madecazethus) is no longer restricted to Malagasy species and now includes those of the African continent as well. Zethus (Zethastrum) subg. nov. is defined for Oriental representatives. Z. (Zethus) is subdivided into three subgenera: Z. (Zethus), Z. (Didymogastra) and Z. (Wettsteinia). Zethus (Zethusculus) and Z. (Zethoides) are monophyletic and hold their status as subgenera. Three species-groups are Incertae sedis: Z. albopictus, Z. pallidus and Z. spinosus.

Taxonomy of the potter wasps of the genus Labus from Vietnam is reviewed, with six species recorded. Of them, one species previously identified as L. clypeatus van der Vecht, 1935 is described as new, namely L. angulus, sp. nov. Another new species, Labus obtusus sp. nov., is also described. In addition, a key to all species of the genus occurring in Vietnam is given.

A total of 38 species belonging to 26 genera of Eumeninae are recorded from Hong Kong, among which two new species, namely Allorhynchium radiatum sp. nov. and Orientalicesa nigra sp. nov. are described and illustrated. Symmorphus tsushimanus Yamane, 1990 is newly recorded from China and its female is firstly described. Eighteen species are newly recorded for Hong Kong. Antepipona ferruginea Kim & Yamane, 2003 is synonymized with Antepipona rufescens (Smith, 1857) (syn. nov.) and Eumenes quadratus obsoletus Dover, 1926 is synonymised with Eumenes quadratus quadratus Smith, 1852 (syn. nov.). A checklist, a key and illustrations to Hong Kong Eumeninae are also provided.

Two new species of eumenine wasps were described from Panama and Peru, namely Pirhosigma abregoi Garcete-Barrett & Hermes sp. nov. and P. cambrai Garcete-Barrett & Ferreira sp. nov. Lectotypes are designated for Eumenes deformata barberoi Bertoni and Eumenes superficialis mondaiensis Bertoni. Pirhosigma mearimense putumayense Giordani Soika stat. nov. is treated as a color variation of the typical P. mearimense (Zavattari). Additions to the key by Ferreira et al. (2017) are made and an updated catalog for species included in the genus is provided.

The subfamily Eumeninae plays a significant role in the biological control of agricultural pests. However, the characteristics of eumenine mitogenomes that are important molecular markers for phylogenetics are not clearly revealed. Here, 52 eumenine mitogenomes are newly sequenced and annotated, and the phylogenetic relationships of the subfamily are comprehensively analyzed based on 87 vespid mitogenomes. Through the comparative analysis of the 54 eumenine mitogenomes, the gene compositions of about one half of the 54 species match with ancestral insect mitogenome, and remaining others contain two trnM which are highly similar, with 51.86% (Eumenes tripunctatus) to 90.65% (Pseumenes nigripectus) sequence identities, which is unique among the reported mitogenomes of the family Vespidae. Moreover, the translocation trnL1 upstream of nad1 is a common rearrangement event in all eumenine mitogenomes. The results of phylogenetic analyses support the paraphyly of the subfamily Eumeninae and the tribe Odynerini, respectively, and the monophyly of the tribe Eumenini, and verify that the tribe Zethini is a valid subfamily Zethinae. In this study, the relationships between some genera such as Allorhynchium and Pararrhynchium or the taxonomic status of the subgenera such as Eremodynerus and Dirhynchium are found to be confusing and there should be further inquiry with more samples.

Three new species, namely Stenodyneriellus angustus sp. n. from Thailand, S. profundus sp. n. from Philippines, and S. longitergus sp. n. from Indonesia, are described and illustrated in detail. Stenodyneriellus maculatus Gusenleitner, 2013 is newly recorded from Vietnam. Two keys to some related species are also provided.

Corrigenda

An illustrated key to the currently recognized genera of the subfamily Eumeninae (Vespidae) from China is presented together with a list of 267 species and subspecies, belonging to 51 genera. Nortozumia van der Vecht, 1937 is reported for the first time from China. Two replacement names are proposed for junior primary homonyms: Ancistrocerus rufofrustius Tan & Carpenter, nom. n. replacing Ancistrocerus rufopictus (Kostylev) and Orientalicesa confasciatus Tan & Carpenter, nom. n. replacing Orientalicesa unifasciatus (von Schulthess, 1934).

The distribution of Zethus Fabicius, 1804, in the Oriental and Palaearctic regions is discussed, with special reference to the northeastern Oriental species. A newly discovered species, Z. velamellatus Tan, sp. n. from China (Zhejiang), is described and illustrated. The first key to species of Zethus Fabricius from China is presented. Zethus nigerrimus Gusenleitner, 2001 is recorded for the first time from China and redescribed.

Vespula vulgaris (Linnaeus) es un véspido social nativo de la región Holártica. En este trabajo reportamos la primera detección de esta especie en Argentina. Obreras de esta avispa fueron capturadas cerca de la ciudad de San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina) en Febrero de 2010, mientras se tomaban muestras de otra avispa invasora, Vespula germanica (Fabricius) o chaqueta amarilla, de morfología externa y hábitos similares a la anteriormente mencionada. Además, detallamos algunos caracteres de identificación y características biológicas.Vespula vulgaris (Linnaeus) is a social vespid native to the Holarctic region. The first detection of this species in Argentina is here reported. Workers were captured close to San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina) during February 2010, while sampling for another successful invader, the German wasp or Yellowjacket, Vespula germanica (Fabricius). Both these wasp species are very similar morphologically and share a number of common habits. Also, some identification features and biological characters are here explained.

A comprehensive catalog of the Neotropical Masarinae is presented. The lectotype of Trimeria howardi Bertoni, 1911, is designated.Um catálogo completo dos Masarinae Neotropicais é apresentado. O lectótipo de Trimeria howardi Bertoni, 1911 é designado.

The males of both species of the paper wasp genus Nectarinella Bequaert, N. xavantinensis Mateus & Noll and N. championi (Dover), are described, and the genitalia illustrated. These are compared to species in the closely related genera Chartergellus, Leipomeles, Marimbonda, Parachartergus and Pseudopolybia.Os machos das duas espécies de vespas sociais do gênero Nectarinella Bequaert, N. xavantinensis Mateus & Noll e N. championi (Dover), são descritos e suas genitálias ilustradas. São feitas comparações com espécies de gêneros estreitamente relacionados, Chartergellus, Leipomeles, Marimbonda, Parachartergus e Pseudopolybia.

Social parasites exploit the brood-care behaviour and social structure of one or more host species. Within the social Hymenoptera there are different types of social parasitism. In its extreme form, species of obligate social parasites, or inquilines, do not have the worker caste and depend entirely on the workers of a host species to raise their reproductive offspring. The strict form of Emery's rule states that social parasites share immediate common ancestry with their hosts. Moreover, this rule has been linked with a sympatric origin of inquilines from their hosts. Here, we conduct phylogenetic analyses of yellowjackets and hornets based on 12 gene fragments and evaluate competing evolutionary scenarios to test Emery's rule. We find that inquilines, as well as facultative social parasites, are not the closest relatives of their hosts. Therefore, Emery's rule in its strict sense is rejected, suggesting that social parasites have not evolved sympatrically from their hosts in yellowjackets and hornets. However, the relaxed version of the rule is supported, as inquilines and their hosts belong to the same Dolichovespula clade. Furthermore, inquilinism has evolved only once in Dolichovespula.

Bohart (1965) treated the identity of 100 names of North American Eumeninae described by Peter Cameron from 1905 to 1912. This paper established the synonymy of all but four of these names, and so solved many problems in the nomenclature of nearctic Eumeninae. During a recent visit to the British Museum, I studied the type specimens of two of the unrecognized species, and in the present work establish their synonymy.