176 Z. BOUCEK 



lines more or less developed on all tibiae. In the female the first tergite has a small 

 spot laterally behind middle, a crossline at hind margin of the fifth tergite and 

 often narrow longitudinal lines dorsally on the epipygium. The gaster in the 

 male lacks the spots on the first tergite but bears dorsally two narrow cross-bands. 

 In the types of petiolata and semirufa the gaster is mostly red, whilst the types of 

 atra and indiensis have a black gaster. The red form is widespread in eastern 

 India, Burma, southern China and a part of the Indonesian islands, including for 

 example Sulawesi (= Celebes). The form with black gaster and reduced, mostly 

 whitish markings (one female from S. India has the pronotal lines yellow), occurs 

 mainly in the southern part of India, in some places together with the black form, 

 as for example in Coimbatore (two specimens with red gaster among many black 

 ones) or in the Madras region (type of petiolata; the region called previously 

 'Coromandel Coast'). A further reduction of the pale markings may be observed 

 in the specimens from the southernmost India and Sri Lanka (= Ceylon). They 

 are black, including the gaster, but the latter retains the mentioned whitish markings 

 whilst the propodeal macula and lines dorsally on hind femur and on all tibiae are 

 mostly absent. In most of these specimens the puncturation and pilosity of the 

 hind femur is relatively denser, but on the propodeum again sparser than in the 

 more northerly specimens. Although intermediate forms are known, there seems 

 to be some correlation with the geographic provenience, but not sufficient enough, 

 in my opinion, to separate these populations as geographic subspecies. 



Also the more easterly forms of L. petiolata seem to follow a certain pattern. 

 As already mentioned, in the western part of the archipelago, for example in 

 Sulawesi (lectotype of L. semirufa, etc.) and Java, the gaster often is extensively 

 red, sometimes completely, sometimes with the apex beyond the fifth tergite 

 (in female) black. The yellow markings may be still reduced but in many specimens 

 they expand retaining the pattern. In the female the lateral spots on the first 

 tergite extend mesad, in the male the first tergite sometimes shows first paler 

 hind margin submedially but mostly a double yellow spot appears posteriorly 

 near to the median line, i.e. not laterally as in the female. With spreading yellow 

 colour the following pattern may be reached: scapus, broad bands of pronotum 

 connected laterally, mesoscutum with lateral streaks and two submedian oblique- 

 triangular spots, broad double spot on scutellum, double spot on dorsellum, large 

 spot on propodeum, metapleurum, all tibiae dorsally, hind coxa dorsally (starting 

 from a little spot anteriorly and in the type of amauroptera) or even slightly at 

 apex, hind femur broadly except for centre and the toothed edge, gaster in female 

 with broad band on the fifth tergite posteriorly. This form, which may be regarded 

 as the true aruera, also has the wings usually less infumate and more brownish 

 than the continental and more westerly forms of L. petiolata. It is distributed 

 from Singapore through Java and Borneo to Papua in New Guinea and to northern 

 Queensland in Australia, probably centring around the Banda Sea and the Arafura 

 Sea. However, mainly the New Guinean populations partly show again some 

 reduction of the yellow colour, thus resembling more the westerly form mentioned 

 as the true petiolata. The submedian spots of mesoscutum and spots on hind 

 coxa disappear and the spots or lines on premarginal carina of pronotum, on 



