J. HYM. RES. 1(1), 1992 pp. 145-155 Ethology of Three Southern African Ground Nesting Masarinae, Two Celonites Species and a Silk-spinning Quartinia Species, with a Discussion of Nesting by the Subfamily as a Whole (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) F.W.Gess and S.K.Gess 1 Albany Museum, Grahamstown, South Africa Abstract. — Accounts are given of some aspects of the nesting of Celonites latitarsis Gess, C. wahlenbergiae Gess and Quartinia vagepunctata Schulthess. Celonites latitarsis nests in sandy soil, excavating a sloping burrow terminating in a cell in which it constructs an earthen cell. C. wahlenbergiae uses a pre-existing burrow in which it constructs linearly arranged earthen cells. Both species collect soil for cell construction from a quarry at some distance from the nest and circumstantial evidence suggests that both use nectar as the bonding agent. Quartinia vagepunctata excavates a vertical burrow surmounted by a turret and terminating in a cell, the whole being stabilized by the use of self generated silk as the bonding agent. In order that the nesting accounts should be put into context, nesting by the Masarinae (sensu Carpenter 1982) as a whole is outlined and discussed. Celonites Latreille and Quartinia Ed. Andre are two Old World masarine genera. Celonites occurs in the Palaearctic Region in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, northwards to Switzerland and southern Germany and eastwards to Transcaspia and southwestern Iran, and in the Afrotropical Region in north east Africa and south-ern Africa (Richards 1962). In southern Africa the genus has a southern and western distribution with the greatest number of species having been recorded from the western areas (Richards 1962, Gess and Gess 1989, label data Albany Museum). Around thirty species of Celonites are known, nearly half from southern Africa. Little has been recorded concerning their nesting behaviour due undoubtedly to the cryptic nature of the nests. Brief notes have been published on the nests, all aerial, of six species as listed in the discussion. It seemed likely that Celonites as a genus would be found to construct aerial nests. The present accounts of ground nesting by C. latitarsis Gess and C. zvahlenbergiae Gess therefore, although based on only one nest each, add considerably to the knowl-edge of the nesting behaviour of the genus. Quartinia occurs in the Palaearctic Region bor-dering the Mediterranean Sea and extends east-'The order of names is alphabetical and equal joint authorship should be understood. wards into Asiatic Russia and India, and in the Afrotropical Region in southern Africa (Richards 1962). In southern Africa the genus has a largely southern and western distribution with, like Celonites the greatest number of species having been recorded from the western areas (Richards 1962, Gess and Gess 1989, label data Albany Mu-seum). Around fifty species of Quartinia are known, more than half from southern Africa. Concerning the nesting behaviour of this genus there seems to be only one casual observation listed in the discus-sion. The present account for Q. vagepunctata Schulthess, which uses silk for stabilizing its turret, burrow and cell walls is therefore of particular interest. The investigations presented in the present pa-per were undertaken during the course of two field trips to the southwestern Cape in early summer, September/October, of 1989 and 1990. Voucher specimens from these studies are de-posited in the Albany Museum. ETHOLOGICAL ACCOUNTS Celonites latitarsis Gess Geographic distribution and description of nesting area. — Celonites latitarsis has as yet only been re-corded from the type locality, 11 km west of Clanwilliam on the road to Graafwater (Fig. 1) in
Ethology of three Southern African ground nesting Masarinae, two Celonites species and a silk-spinning Quartinia species, with a discussion of nesting by the subfamily as a whole (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)
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