Taxonomic Studies on Vespid Wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespoidea: Vespidae) of Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve, West Bengal, India. Part 1

The Sunderbans area is composed of a group of Islands from the mouth of the river Hooghly on the west and extending up to the river Meghna in the east, covering North and South 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal in India and Khulna and Barishal districts in Bangladesh. It lies approximately 87°51′- 91°30′ east longitude and 21°31′- 22°30′ north latitude. It is considered as the largest single mangrove belt of the world, comprising an area of 9827 sq. km of which 4264 sq. km comes under India. In 1989, the Government of India declared the entire Indian Sunderbans (9630 sq. km; mangrove belt plus nearby villages) as Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve. Due to its unique ecosystem, it has also been declared a World Heritage site in 1989. It is the largest estuary delta in the world with extremely rich diversity of aquatic and terrestrial flora and fauna.