Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 April 2026 | 18(4): 28688–28695
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10004.18.4.28688-28695
#10004 | Received 17 June 2025 | Final received 26 March 2026| Finally
accepted 09 April 2026
Diversity and distribution of
wasps and bees (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Apidae) in the Gauhati University Campus, Kamrup
Metro, Assam, India
Briyanka Kashyap 1 , Jinti Das 2, Malabika Kakati Saikia 3 & Prasanta Kumar Saikia
4
1,3,4 Department of Zoology, Gauhati University, Gopinath Bordoloi
Nagar, Guwahati, Assam 781014, India.
2 Department of Zoology, Cotton
University, Panbazar, Guwahati, Assam 781001, India.
1 briyankakashyap@gmail.com, 2
jintidas1331@gmail.com, 3 malabikaks@gauhati.ac.in, 4 pksaikia@gauhati.ac.in
(corresponding author)
Editor: Anonymity requested. Date of publication: 26 April 2026 (online & print)
Citation: Kashyap, B., J. Das, M.K. Saikia
& P.K. Saikia (2026).
Diversity and distribution of wasps and bees (Insecta:
Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Apidae)
in the Gauhati University Campus, Kamrup
Metro, Assam, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 18(4): 28688–28695. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10004.18.4.28688-28695
Copyright: © Kashyap et al. 2026. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the
author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: This study was funded by Assam State Biodiversity Board, vide Grant File No.
ABB/Research grant/2019/590.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Author details: Briyanka Kashyap is a research scholar, molecular ecology laboratory, Department of Zoology, Gauhati University. Her research focuses on diversity, distribution, phenology, behavior, interaction, and molecular taxonomy of hymenopteran insects, particularly wasps and bees. Jinti Das is a research scholar, Department of Zoology, Cotton University. Her research focuses on animal ecology and wildlife science, with particular interest in the ecology and conservation of the Greater One-horned Rhinoceros. Malabika Kakati Saikia is an assistant professor, Department of Zoology, Gauhati University. Her thrust areas include research and conservation on wildlife and biodiversity, with a particular focus on Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), odonates, chiroptera, aquatic mammals, megaherbivores, raptors, avian nesting ecology; given emphasis on documenting the precious wildlife wealth in the northeastern region of India. Prasanta Kumar Saikia is a retired professor and former head, Department of Zoology, former Dean, faculty of science, Gauhati University. His areas of research includes conducting comprehensive studies on animal ecology and behavior, performing detailed inventories to support wildlife and biodiversity conservation. He is specialized in the study and research of mammals, birds, herpetofauna, spiders, lightning bugs and threatened wildlife of northeastern India.
Author contribution: BK: Field data collection, Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Data curation, Writing - original draft. JD: Field data collection, Formal Analysis. MKS: Validation, Writing - review and editing. PKS: Supervision, Visualization, Validation, Writing - review and editing.
Acknowledgements: We are thankful to the HoD, Department of Zoology, Gauhati University, for providing the laboratory and other essential facilities during this study. We are grateful to the Assam State Biodiversity Board for financially supporting this research work. We are also grateful to P. Girish Kumar, scientist- D, Western Ghats Regional Centre Zoological Survey of India, Kozhikode, Kerala, India, for identifying some species of wasps and bees.
Abstract: The diversity and distribution of
wasps and bees in the Gauhati University campus, Kamrup Metro, Assam was investigated in four different
habitats: campus gardens, grasslands, residential areas, and areas adjacent to
wetlands. Specimens were observed or collected from March 2022 to February
2023. A total of 23 species were recorded from five subfamilies; Polistinae, Eumeninae, and Vespinae under the family Vespidae,
Apinae, and Xylocopinae
under the family Apidae. The most abundant subfamily
was Polistinae (44%) and the least Xylocopinae (8%). Shannon-Weiner diversity index values
indicated the highest diversity in residential areas (3.4) followed by gardens
(3.3), grasslands (2.2), and areas adjacent to wetlands (2.0). Species
abundance exhibited seasonal variations, peaking during the monsoon months.
Keywords: Apinae, diversity indices, eumeninae, habitat, northeastern India, polistinae,
seasonal variation, species abundance, vespinae, xylocopinae.
INTRODUCTION
The wasps in the family Vespidae (Hymenoptera), commonly known as paper wasps,
potter wasps, pollen wasps, yellow jackets, hornets, and hover wasps (Gawas et al. 2020), are a specialized group of insects. Globally,
this family consists of about 5,000 species (Varghese & Kumar 2023), with
288 species reported in India (Mazumdar et al. 2021). This cosmopolitan family
consists of six subfamilies: Polistinae, Eumeninae, Euparagiinae, Masarinae, Stenogastrinae, and Vespinae, of which only Euparagiinae
is not reported in India (Gawas et al. 2020).
Mazumdar et al. (2021) reported 116 species of Vespidae
under four subfamilies from six northeastern states of India, including Assam.
The family Apidae (Hymenoptera) comprises bees, and
there are approximately 25,000 named species globally (Gupta 2014). Some of the
earliest literature available on the diversity and distribution of wasps and
bees from the Indian subcontinent were by Bingham (1897), Das & Gupta
(1983, 1989). In the last decades, many studies were conducted from various
regions of India. Some of those studies include (Kumar 2010, 2013, 2018; Kumar
& Nguyen 2010; Kumar & Srinivasan 2010; Kumar & Lambert 2010; Kumar
& Carpenter 2013, 2018; Kumar & Sharma 2013, 2014, 2015; Kumar et al.
2014, 2016, 2017, 2019; Gawas et al 2020; Mazumdar et
al. 2021; Varghese & Kumar 2023). From the Indian state of Assam, no
consolidated works on Vespidae wasps have been
reported (Mazumdar et al. 2021).
Vespid wasps forage for fuel, water,
and resources to construct their nests (Lima & Prezoto
2003). Their primary food source is insects, which account for 90–95% of the
prey gathered (Gobbi & Machado 1986). The
aggregation arrangement of social wasps is mostly clustered, indicating that
they are extremely territorial insects with populations exhibiting significant
species concentration in the same area (Richards 1971). Wasps contribute vital
ecosystem services as bioindicators (de Souza et al. 2010), pollinators,
predators, and biocontrol agents of agricultural pests (Ferreira et al. 2020).
Bees visit flowers to collect nectar for the production of honey and in
the process carry pollen. They are cosmopolitan, eusocial insects that play a
vital role in preserving biodiversity by pollinating a vast variety of plants.
Bees that produce honey are essential to humankind for both biological and
commercial reasons.
For the survival of many plant
species and overall maintenance of the biodiversity in ecosystems,
plant-pollinator networks are essential. Social wasps and bees are unique in
these networks because of their extensive foraging range and exceptional
connectedness. These insects visit a wide variety of flowering species, as they
are generalist pollinators, in contrast to many other pollinators, which may
specialize in certain plants. This inclination is strongly associated with
their social structure, in which numerous foraging workers gather nectar from
the most abundant plant species within their area from a single nest. With a
great deal of overlap between the plants and their pollinators, these wasps and
bees build a network of plants and pollinators that is more resilient to
disturbances or extinctions on both sides of the mutualistic interaction. In
environments that are fragmented or deteriorated, social wasps may become more
common than bees, and they are important ‘backup’ pollinators that help
maintain the integrity of ecosystems (Brock et al. 2021).
Despite the ecological importance
of wasps and bees, studies on their diversity and distribution pattern in
different habitats remain limited in the northeastern region of India. In this
context, the present study was conducted with a focus on the following
objectives: 1. to document and identify the Vespidae
and Apidae species, and 2. to highlight their
diversity and distribution patterns across different habitat types.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Study area
Kamrup Metropolitan District of Assam
comprises various habitats that harbor a rich variety of flora and fauna, and
the Gauhati University campus encompasses an array of
ecosystems, including wetlands, rugged landscapes, green spaces, and human
habitats. The region has an abundance of both native and cultivated vegetation.
Spreading over an area of 508.8 ac, the Gauhati
University campus is situated at 26.154° N and 91.663° E. The campus lies on
the southern bank of the river Brahmaputra towards the northern edge of the Shillong Plateau in the southwestern corner of the Kamrup Metropolitan District of Assam, India. The elevation
of the area is 45 m. Temperature ranges 10.6–32 °C, and annual average
precipitation is 300–400 mm (Hazarika & Kalita
2018). Natural habitats in the University Campus include hills, marshes,
grasslands, forests and small to medium-sized ponds (Hazarika & Kalita 2018) along with human-modified habitats like
gardens, residential areas. The campus of Gauhati
University exhibits a vast diversity of fauna, particularly insects. In the
present study, the insects were surveyed and collected from eight study sites
located in four distinct habitats: 1) gardens, 2) residential areas, 3)
grasslands, and 4) areas adjacent to wetlands within the university campus
(Table 1).
Insect collection and
identification
Four plots of 100 x 100 m for
each of the eight study sites were selected randomly, from which the surveys
were conducted from March 2022 to February 2023 at 0800–1700 h and were
repeated two to three times a week. The microhabitats from which the insects
were observed and collected were recorded. The insects were collected by
sweeping using insect collecting nets and were sacrificed in killing jars using
benzene/ethyl acetate (Kumar et al. 2015). The sacrificed insects were kept in
insect envelopes with proper labelling mentioning the date, time and site of
collection, geographic coordinates, and the name of the collector. These were
then preserved dry using naphthalene and carbolic acid in appropriate boxes
(Kumar et al. 2015). In the laboratory, the specimens were pinned and mounted
to display appropriately and observed under a Leica stereo zoom microscope for
identification. The specimens were identified using taxonomic keys and
diagnostic features available (Bingham 1897; Carpenter & Cumming 1985; Das
& Gupta 1989; Carpenter & Nguyen 2003; Kumar & Sharma 2015; Kumar et
al. 2015; Pannure et al. 2016).
Data analysis
An independent-samples
Kruskal-Wallis test was used to test whether the relative abundance across the
four habitat types differs significantly. Post hoc pairwise comparisons were
conducted using Dunn’s test to identify which habitat types differ
significantly. The significance level was set at 0.05. Statistical analysis was
performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 20 software. Shannon-Weiner index (H´), Pielou’s index (J´), Margalef’s
index (R), Simpson’s index (1-D) and Brillouin index (HB) were calculated using
the PAST4.17 programme.
Results
and Discussion
In this study, a total of 71
individuals were documented, representing 17 species, 10 genera, and three
subfamilies within the family Vespidae, as well as
six species, three genera, and two subfamilies under the family Apidae from the four habitats of Gauhati
University campus (Table 2). These findings are comparable to earlier reports
(Kumar & Sharma 2014, 2015; Kumar et al. 2015; Siddiqui et al. 2015; Gawas et al. 2020; Mazumdar et al. 2021) from this region
and other parts of Indian subcontinent. The findings of this study indicate
that the subfamily Polistinae within the family Vespidae with nine species (Table 2; Figure 1) is the most
dominant group in the study area. Mazumdar et al. (2021) also reported 40
species of Polistinae from six northeastern states of
India including Assam. This dominance can be attributed to their social
structure, which enables them to utilize resources and maintain colonies
efficiently and their adaptability to various habitats.
The high abundance and diversity
of wasp and bee species in the human-modified habitats (gardens and residential
areas) (Table 3; Figure 2 & 3), suggest their preference for these
habitats. This is congruent with the role of these species as essential
pollinators in both natural and human-modified ecosystems (Khan et al. 2020).
The relative abundance of the species across the four habitats were found to
differ significantly (Independent-Samples Kruskal-Wallis test: p = 0.001).
Post-hoc pairwise comparisons (Dunn’s test) (Table 4) revealed that significant
difference in relative abundance of the species occurred between four pairs of
habitats (garden & grassland, garden & area adjacent to wetland,
grassland & residential area, residential area & area adjacent to
wetland) (p ˂ 0.05). These findings suggest that habitat heterogeneity
significantly influences species distribution, with distinct assemblages
associated with specific habitat types.
The species diversity, richness,
and evenness across various habitats differ to some extent (Gawas
& Gupta 2022). In the present study, residential areas were found to have
the highest species diversity and richness with a Shannon-Wiener Index of 3.394
and Margalef’s Index of 6.188, respectively (Table
5). These areas are also relatively evenly diverse with Pielou’s
Evenness Index of 1.295 (Table 5). Gardens are not far behind the residential
areas in terms of species diversity, with a Shannon-Wiener Index of 3.246 and a
Margalef’s Index of 5.592 (Table 5). This is likely
due to the availability of diverse foraging and suitable nesting resources such
as ornamental plants, buildings, and other man-made structures. This also
infers the ecological success of these species in adapting to urban
environments. The natural habitats (grasslands and areas near wetlands) have
lower species richness and diversity, with a much lower Shannon-Wiener and Margalef’s indices (2.208 and 2.009, respectively) (Table
5). Pielou’s Evenness Index of these two habitats
(1.517 and 1.492) (Table 5) reflects the lowest species richness and diversity.
This may indicate lesser preference, limited resources or more competition in
these regions.
Simpson’s and Brillouin indices
(Table 5) also supports this data, where the diversity of these species is high
in residential areas and gardens and low in grasslands and wetland adjacent
areas. This indicates that ecological niches that are man-made, including
gardens and residential areas, are capable of supporting many wasp and bee
species, and these species can be distributed rather evenly, while ecological niches
that are more natural, such as grasslands and wetlands, can support only a few
dominant species. This is congruent with earlier studies (Jacques et al. 2017),
where they reported high diversity of wasps in anthropized habitats like
agricultural fields.
The high abundance of wasps and
bees in the months of April–September and very low in the months of
October–March (Figure 4) indicates that these insects mostly prefer warm and
humid conditions for foraging, nesting, and reproduction. In this study, it was
found that social wasp species initiate colonies in spring, colony growth and
foraging activity peak in mid to late summer and starts declining in autumn,
which was also reported by Spradbery (1973).
The findings of this study add
valuable data to the wasp and bee diversity of the Gauhati
University campus, which will help in continuous monitoring and conservation
efforts for these ecologically important species in this region. Habitats such
as residential areas and gardens, which support a wide array of these species,
should be protected and managed sustainably.
This study is the first report on
the diversity and distribution of wasps and bees, their habitat-wise diversity
comparisons from the Gauhati University campus and is
also one of the few such studies conducted from Assam, filling a critical gap
in the existing literature from this region. The findings of this study provide
a baseline for future research on the distribution and diversity of wasp and
bee species from this region and contribute to a deeper understanding of the
ecological roles of these species. The results of this study are based on a
single year of data collection and a restricted geographic scope. So, further
studies with increased duration of data collection, a broader geographic region
and exploring the underlying factors contributing to the higher abundance and
diversity of these species in human-modified habitats is encouraged.
Table 1. Study sites with geographic coordinates within the Gauhati
University campus.
|
Study site |
Habitat type |
Geographic coordinates |
|
Site 1 |
Garden |
26.152O N, 91.661O E |
|
Site 2 |
Garden |
26.154O N, 91.660O E |
|
Site 3 |
Garden |
26.151O N, 91.669O E |
|
Site 4 |
Grassland |
26.154O N, 91.659O E |
|
Site 5 |
Grassland |
26.153O N, 91.664O E |
|
Site 6 |
Grassland |
26.154O N, 91.668O E |
|
Site 7 |
Residential Area |
26.153O N, 91.671O E |
|
Site 8 |
Areas adjacent to wetlands |
26.155O N, 91.669O E |
Table 2. List of wasp
and bee species
recorded in the four
habitats of Gauhati University campus.
|
Family |
Subfamily |
Species |
|
Vespidae |
Eumeninae |
Allorhynchium argentatum |
|
Antodynerus flavescens |
||
|
Antodynerus limbatus |
||
|
Labus pusillus |
||
|
Phimenes flavopictus |
||
|
Rhynchium brunneum |
||
|
Polistinae |
Parapolybia varia |
|
|
Polistes olivaceus |
||
|
Polistes sagittarius sagittarius |
||
|
Polistes wattii |
||
|
Ropalidia cyathiformis |
||
|
Ropalidia fasciata |
||
|
Ropalidia jacobsoni |
||
|
Ropalidia ornaticeps |
||
|
Ropalidia stigma |
||
|
Vespinae |
Provespa barthelemyi |
|
|
Vespa tropica
leefmansi |
||
|
Apidae |
Apinae |
Apis cerana |
|
Apis dorsata |
||
|
Tetragonula iridipennis |
||
|
Xylocopinae |
Xylocopa latipes |
|
|
Xylocopa aestuans |
||
|
Xylocopa fenestrata |
Table 3. Habitat-wise distribution of wasp and
bee species found in the Gauhati
University campus.
|
Species |
Habitat |
|||||||
|
Garden |
Grassland |
Residential area |
Area adjacent to wetland |
|||||
|
|
Abundance |
Relative abundance (%) |
Abundance |
Relative abundance (%) |
Abundance |
Relative abundance (%) |
Abundance |
Relative abundance (%) |
|
Allorhynchium argentatum |
0 |
0 |
1 |
16.66 |
1 |
2.86 |
0 |
0 |
|
Antodynerus flavescens |
0 |
0 |
1 |
16.66 |
1 |
2.86 |
0 |
0 |
|
Antodynerus limbatus |
0 |
0 |
1 |
16.66 |
1 |
2.86 |
0 |
0 |
|
Labus pusillus |
0 |
0 |
1 |
16.66 |
1 |
2.86 |
0 |
0 |
|
Phimenes flavopictus |
1 |
4 |
1 |
16.66 |
1 |
2.86 |
0 |
0 |
|
Rhynchium brunneum |
1 |
4 |
1 |
16.66 |
1 |
2.86 |
0 |
0 |
|
Parapolybia varia |
2 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5.71 |
0 |
0 |
|
Polistes olivaceus |
2 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5.71 |
0 |
0 |
|
Polistes sagittarius sagittarius |
2 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5.71 |
0 |
0 |
|
Polistes watti |
2 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5.71 |
0 |
0 |
|
Ropalidia cyathiformis |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5.71 |
0 |
0 |
|
Ropalidia fasciata |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5.71 |
0 |
0 |
|
Ropalidia jacobsoni |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5.71 |
0 |
0 |
|
Ropalidia ornaticeps |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5.71 |
0 |
0 |
|
Ropalidia stigma |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5.71 |
0 |
0 |
|
Provespa barthelemyi |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5.71 |
1 |
20 |
|
Vespa tropica
leefmansi |
2 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2.86 |
1 |
20 |
|
Apis cerana |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5.71 |
1 |
20 |
|
Apis dorsata |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5.71 |
1 |
20 |
|
Tetragonula iridipennis |
2 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2.86 |
1 |
20 |
|
Xylocopa latipes |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2.86 |
0 |
0 |
|
Xylocopa aestuans |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2.86 |
0 |
0 |
|
Xylocopa fenestrata |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2.86 |
0 |
0 |
Table 4. Pairwise Kruskal-Wallis p-values between habitat types.
|
Habitat |
p-value |
Significance |
|
Garden vs. Grassland |
0.010 |
|
|
Garden vs. Area adjacent to
Wetland |
0.005 |
|
|
Grassland vs. Residential area |
0.005 |
|
|
Residential area vs. Area
adjacent to wetland |
0.003 |
|
|
Garden vs. Residential area |
0.831 |
|
|
Grassland vs. Area adjacent to
Wetland |
0.831 |
|
Table 5. Diversity indices of wasp and
bee species found in the Gauhati
University campus.
|
Diversity indices |
Garden |
Grassland |
Residential area |
Area adjacent to the wetland |
|
Shannon-Weiner index |
3.246 |
2.208 |
3.394 |
2.009 |
|
Pielou’s index |
1.352 |
1.517 |
1.295 |
1.492 |
|
Margalef’s index |
5.592 |
2.791 |
6.188 |
2.485 |
|
Simpson’s index |
0.98 |
1.000 |
0.9798 |
1.000 |
|
Brillouin index |
2.154 |
1.097 |
2.395 |
0.957 |
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(Gyrostoma) Kirby (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) from various states of India and adjacent
countries. Records of the Zoological Survey of India 110(4): 41–45.
https://doi.org/10.26515/rzsi/v110/i4/2010/158917
Kumar, P.G.
(2013). A taxonomic
study on the genus Anterhynchium de Saussure
(Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae)
from Indian subcontinent. Records of the Zoological Survey of India
113(4): 139–158. https://doi.org/10.26515/rzsi/v113/i4/2013/121783
Kumar, P.G.
(2018). Taxonomic
review on the potter wasp genus Pseumenes Giordani Soika (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) from
India. ENVIS News Letter, ENVIS Centre on Biodiversity (Fauna) 24(3):
2–6.
Kumar, P.G.
& G. Sharma (2013). A taxonomic study on the genus Rhynchium
Spinola (Hymenoptera: Vespidae:
Eumeninae) from the Indian subcontinent. Records
of the Zoological Survey of India 113(2): 105–122. https://doi.org/10.26515/rzsi/v113/i2/2013/121836
Kumar, P.G.
& G. Sharma (2014). Taxonomic studies on vespid wasps
(Hymenoptera: Vespoidea: Vespidae)
of Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve, West Bengal, India.
Part 1. Records of the Zoological Survey of India 114(4): 563–580. https://doi.org/10.26515/rzsi/v114/i4/2014/121607
Kumar, P.G.
& G. Sharma (2015). Taxonomic studies on vespid wasps
(Hymenoptera: Vespoidea: Vespidae)
of Chhattisgarh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(14):
8096–8127. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.2426.7.14.8096-8127
Kumar, P.G.
& G. Srinivasan (2010). Taxonomic studies of hornet wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)
Vespa Linnaeus of India. Records of the Zoological Survey of
India 110(2): 57–80. https://doi.org/10.26515/rzsi/v110/i2/2010/158949
Kumar, P.G.
& J.M. Carpenter (2013). A taxonomic review of the genus Antodynerus
de Saussure, 1855 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) from the Indian subcontinent. Zootaxa 3731(2): 267–278. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3731.2.7
Kumar, P.G.
& J.M. Carpenter (2018). A taxonomic review of the genus Vespula
Thomson (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Vespinae)
from the Indian subcontinent. Halteres 9:
86–110.
Kumar, P.G.
& K. Lambert (2010). New record of Polistes (Polistes) indicus Stolfa
from India (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae). Uttar Pradesh Journal of Zoology 30(2):
193–196.
Kumar, P.G.
& L.T. Nguyen (2010). New distributional records of the nocturnal wasp Provespa
barthelemyi (du Buysson)
(Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Vespinae)
from various states of India. Journal of Experimental Zoology 13(2):
379–382.
Kumar, P.G.,
B.G. Kundu & S.I. Kazmi (2015). Insecta:
Hymenoptera: Vespidae. Zoological Survey of India,
Fauna of Uttar Pradesh, State Fauna Series 22(2): 581–595.
Kumar, P.G.,
J.M. Carpenter & L. Kishore (2014). A review of the genus Epsilon
de Saussure (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) from India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 6(1):
5380–5385. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.o3626.5380-5
Kumar, P.G.,
J.M. Carpenter & L. Kishore (2017). A review of the genus Pararrhynchium de Saussure (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) from India
with the description of a new species. Halteres 8:
85–91.
Kumar, P.G.,
J.M. Carpenter & P.M. Sureshan (2016). A taxonomic review of the genus Antepipona de Saussure, 1855 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) from
India. Zootaxa 4150(5): 501–536. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4150.5.1
Kumar, P.G.,
K.M. Shareef, L. Kishore & J.M. Carpenter (2013). A taxonomic review of the
Oriental genus Labus de Saussure, 1867
(Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae)
from the Indian subcontinent. Biosystematica 7(2):
29–37.
Lima, M.A.P.
& F. Prezoto (2003). Foraging activity rhythm in the
Neotropical Swarm-founding Wasp Polybia platycephala sylvestris
(Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in different seasons of the
year. Sociobiology 42(3): 745–752.
Mazumdar,
P.C., P.G. Kumar & S.I. Kazmi (2021). Hymenoptera: Vespidae,
pp. 361–366. In: Faunal Diversity of Biogeographic Zones of India:
North-East. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata.
Pannure, A., V.V. Belavadi
& J.M. Carpenter (2016). Taxonomic studies on Potter Wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae:
Eumeninae) of south India. Zootaxa 4171(1):
1–50. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4171.1.1
Richards,
O.W. (1971). The biology
of the social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Biological
Reviews 46(4): 483–528.
Siddiqui,
J.A., I. Bodlah, J.M. Carpenter, M. Naeem, M. Ahmad
& M.A. Bodlah (2015). Vespidae
(Hymenoptera) of the Pothwar region of Punjab,
Pakistan. Zootaxa 3914(5): 501–524. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3914.5.1
Spradbery, J.P. (1973). Wasps: An Account of the
Biology and Natural History of Solitary and Social Wasps. University of
Washington Press, Seattle, 408 pp.
Varghese, T. & P.G. Kumar
(2023). A review of
the taxonomy, biology and distribution of the social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) of the Indian Subcontinent. Journal of
the Indian Institute of Science 103(4): 1019–1047. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41745-023-00411-7