Observations of Xenorhynchium Nitidulum (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera, Eumeninae), a Primitively Social Wasp

Until recently primitively social wasps, with more than one female sharing a nest but without a reproductive division of labor, were considered rare. For many years, the only such wasps known were the five species cited by Wheeler (1928) in his classic book on the social insects. More primitively social wasps are now known (for a partial list see West-Eberhard, 1979). It is clear, however, that many more remain to betdiscovered, and information on the biology of primitively social species is still scarce. It therefore seems worthwhile to report the following brief notes on Xenorynchium nitiduhrn (Fabricius), a primitively social wasp found in India. The observations reported here were made on nests collected in the village of Janla, Puri District, Orissa (about 20 degrees N.Latitude) in November, 1979. X. nitidulum is widely distributed in India. Vecht (1963 p. 112) cites Dover and Rao (1922) as recording this species from Calcutta, Pusa, Bangalore, Lucknow, Kashmir, and Lahore (Punjab).