Chalybion bengalense ( Dahlbom, 1845 )

Anagha, S., Girish Kumar, Puthuvayi & Hegde, Vishwanath Dattatray, 2023, A study of the genus Chalybion Dahlbom, 1843 (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae) in India, Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics 9 (1), pp. 59-66 : 62

Chalybion bengalense ( Dahlbom, 1845) ( Figs 10–19)

Sphex violaceus Fabricius, 1775:346 , ♀, ♂ (as violacea, incorrect original termination), junior primary homonym of

Sphex violaceus Scopoli, 1763 . Lectotype: ♀, South Africa: Cape of Good Hope (ZMUC).

Pelopoeus bengalensis Dahlbom, 1845:433 , ♀, ♂. Holotype or syntypes: India: Bengal: no specific locality (Lund). Chalybion bengalense : F. Smith, 1871:360 (new combination, in catalog of Oriental Aculeata). Pelopoeus convexus F. Smith, 1876:449 , ♂. Syntypes: ♂, Mascarenes: Island of Rodriguez (BMNH).

Diagnosis. Female ( Figs. 10–17). Frons punctate to punctate reticulate ( Fig. 11); clypeus with five teeth ( Fig. 12); supra-antennal plate not strongly protruding ( Fig. 11); pronotal collar, mesoscutum, scutellum, and metanotum distinctly punctate; propodeum transversely strigose with shallow punctures, punctate to rugose punctate laterally ( Fig. 13); mesepisternum densely coarsely punctate to rugose-punctate ( Fig. 14); first metasomal tergite slender, with white pubescence ( Fig. 16); cellular wing area subhyaline with a brownish tinge ( Fig. 15). Male ( Figs. 18–19). Resembles female in most aspects except clypeus with three teeth ( Fig. 19).

Material examined. INDIA: Andaman and Nicobar Island, South Andaman district, Port Blair, 1♂ & 1♀, 7.iv.2021 & 16.v.2021, Coll. A.K. Dubey, ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.–INV. 17976 & 17977. Karnataka, Kodagu district , Thondoor, 1♂, 22.xii.2019, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.–INV. 18049; Kodagu district , Bettathur near Madikeri, 1♀ & 3♂♂, 24.xii.2019, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.–INV. 18050–18053. Kerala, Kozhikode district ; Kottooli wetland, 2♀♀, 20.vi.2017, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.–INV. 10004– 10005; Kannur district , Madayipara, 1♀, 2.xii.2018, Coll. Sandra, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.–INV. 12842; Thiruvananthapuram district , Agasthyamalai, Neyyar WLS, 5♀♀ & 3♂♂, 16.i.2019, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.–INV. 16881–16888; Idukki district , Chinnar, Koottaram, 1♂, 28.xi.2018, Coll. S. Anagha, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.–INV. 17112. Tamil Nadu, Tirunelveli district , Rosemiyapuram, 6♂, 25.ix.2018 & 27.ix.2018, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.–INV. 16855–16857 & 16858–16860; Kanyakumari district , Kanyakumari WLS, Alagiyapandipuram range, Kalikesham, 4♂♂, 16.ii.2020, Coll. Souvik Sen & party, ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.–INV. 16889–16892; Kanyakumari district , Kanyakumari WLS, Kulashekaram range, 2♀♀, 19.ii.2020, Coll. Souvik Sen & party, ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.–INV. 16893–16894. Uttarakhand, Dehradun district , WII Campus, 3♀♀ & 1♂, 10–13.viii.2017, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.–INV. 17251–17254; Dehradun district , Kalsi, 4♀♀ & 11♂♂, 18.vii.2019, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.–INV. 18032–18046. Madhya Pradesh, Mandla district , Kanha National Park , 1♀, 18.vi.2019, Coll. David Raju, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.–INV. 18030. West Bengal, S-24 Parganas, Sunderban, Sagar island , 2♀♀ & 2♂♂, 17.iii.2018 and 25.iii.2018, Coll. Sunita Patra, ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.–INV. 18058 and 18059–18061 .

Distribution in India. Andaman and Nicobar Island, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal. Elsewhere: Australia; Bangladesh; Chagos Archipelago; China (including Hong Kong); Egypt; Eritrea; Ethiopia; French Polynesia; Gilbert Island; Greece; Guam Island; Hawaiian island; Indonesia; Iraq; Italy; Japan; Kenya; Laos; Madagascar; Malaysia; Maldives; Mascarenes; Mauritius; Micronesia; Mozambique; Myanmar; Nepal; New Caledonia; Philippines; Phoenix island; Seychelles islands; Singapore; South Africa; Sri Lanka; Taiwan; Tanzania; Thailand; Vietnam; Yemen ( Anagha & Girish Kumar, 2020; Pulawski, 2022).