Belongs within: Eumeninae.
Australodynerus is an Australian genus of smallish potter wasps characterised by a relatively long, depressed propodeum with well-defined lateral carinae, and a small difference only in the width of the first and second metasomal segments (Giordani Soika 1962).
Little potters of Australia
Published 24 April 2025
The wasps of the family Vespidae are most familiar through their social representatives, the paper wasps. Nevertheless, the family also includes a large number of solitary species. The most diverse of these are the potter wasps of the Eumeninae, whose vernacular name refers to their construction of nests from mud. Australia is home to its own distinctive fauna of potter wasps, among which are the species of Australodynerus.
Australodynerus was first recognised as a distinct genus by the prolific taxonomist Antonio Giordani Soika who described over 1300 species of vespid over the course of his career (Dal Pos et al. 2022). At present, eleven species (and several subspecies) are attributed to Australodynerus. They are mostly relatively small potter wasps with a medially depressed propodeum bearing lateral teeth, an angled metanotum, and a sessile metasoma with the first segment nearly as wide as the second. Females bear a single cephalic fovea (Carpenter & Brown 2021).
Work on Australodynerus to date appears to be purely taxonomic with no records on their natural history. Many potter wasps stock their nests with insect larvae such as caterpillars. Whether the small size of Australodynerus species is reflected in their choice of prey would be an interesting question.
Systematics of Australodynerus
Characters (Giordani Soika 1962): Size mediocre. Mesosoma elongate, sub-cylindrical, slightly depressed dorsally, slightly wider anteriorly than posteriorly. Postscutellum with short horizontal dorsal face not well separated from posterior oblique face, which is part of the posterior face of the mesosoma. Propodeum elongate, depressed, with dorsal face continuing regularly onto the posterior face; lateral carinae well developed, rectilinear, forming a right or acute angle at rear where they meet with lower carinae. First tergite broad, dome-shaped; second tergite a little swollen.
<==Australodynerus Giordani Soika 1962C85
|--*A. pusillus (Saussure 1855) [=Odynerus pusillus; incl. O. (Leionotus) macilentus Saussure 1867]C85
|--A. convexus Giordani Soika 1977C85
|--A. merredinensis Giordani Soika 1962C85
| |--A. m. merredinensisC85
| |--A. m. everardensis Giordani Soika 1977C85
| `--A. m. victoriensis Giordani Soika 1977C85
|--A. punctiventris Giordani Soika 1977C85
`--A. pusilloides Giordani Soika 1962C85
|--A. p. pusilloidesC85
`--A. p. impudicus Giordani Soika 1962C85
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[C85] Cardale, J. C. 1985. Vespoidea and Sphecoidea. In: Walton, D. W. (ed.) Zoological Catalogue of Australia vol. 2. Hymenoptera: Formicoidea, Vespoidea and Sphecoidea pp. 150–303. Australian Government Publishing Service: Canberra.
Carpenter, J. M., & G. R. Brown. 2021. A key to the Australian genera of Eumeninae (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Records of the Australian Museum 73 (3): 87–101.
Dal Pos, D., J. M. Carpenter & M. Uliana. 2022. The Giordani Soika collection of Eumeninae at the Natural History Museum of Venice Giancarlo Ligabue: catalogue of species and type specimens (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Zootaxa 5137 (1): 1–111.
Giordani Soika, A. 1962. Gli Odynerus sensu antiquo del continente Australiano e della Tasmania. Boll. Mus. Civ. Venezia 14: 57–202.