Provespa anomala is a true wasp that is seldom seen during the day. It is considered to be a relatively uncommon species in Singapore that inhabits forested areas, but its biology seems to be poorly known (Lee, 2012). Although it forages at night, it is attracted by artificial lights, and known to enter buildings. The nests, constructed of fibrous plant material, are founded by a queen with around 50 worker wasps. Any disturbance to the nest will cause the adult wasps to rush out onto its surface (see Woo at al., 2011). It is interesting to note that despite the compromised position of the nest, it was still being occupied by the hornets. The hornets on the outside were observed rapidly beating their wings in a collective manner. This behaviour seems to be a means of regulating the nest temperature under the hot sun (see Jones & Oldroyd, 2006).

The specimen is quite badly broken and much of the colour and pattern are lost. However, the shell characteristics of Harpa articularis such as the narrow ribs marked with groups of brown lines and the large brown blotch at the columella, faded to an orangey-brown, are still visible (see Rehder, 1973; Abbott, 1991). Hitherto the major harp, Harpa major, was the only species of Harpa reported from Singapore, where it is listed as nationally endangered (see Chou et al., 1994; Chou & Tan, 2008). This find represents the first record of Harpa articularis and the second species of the genus in Singapore. However it is uncertain if the specimen is native to the country, or introduced with sand imported from elsewhere for reclamation.