Mischocyttarus buyssoni ( Ducke 1906 )

Borges, Rafael Cabral & Silveira, Orlando Tobias, 2019, Revision of the species-group of Mischocyttarus (Omega) filiformis (de Saussure 1854), with description of three new species (Hymenoptera, Vespidae), Zootaxa 4657 (3), pp. 545-564 : 552-555

Mischocyttarus buyssoni ( Ducke 1906)

( Figs 9 , 20 , 23 , 28)

Monacanthocnemis buyssoni Ducke, 1906: 9 . Lectotype ♀, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, 7.i.1906 (Ducke) (NHM), designated by Richards (1978); examined

Monacanthocnemis buyssoni Ducke 1907: 183 , pl. 3, fig. 8

Mischocyttarus buyssoni Ducke 1918: 43 ; Richards 1945: 403, fig. 71; Zikan 1949: 208; Carpenter 1999: 20

Mischocyttarus cristatus Zikan 1935: 201 , Figs 81, 82, 84, 85. Lectotype: ♀ Brazil, Itatiaia, 3.v.1933 (J.F. Zikan) (IOC); exam- ined; synonymized by Richards (1978)

Mischocyttarus cristatus Zikan : Richards 1945: 401; Richards 1978: 373

Mischocyttarus (Monacanthocnemis) buyssoni (Ducke) : Richards 1978: 369, 373, 374

Mischocyttarus (Monacanthocnemis) cristatus Zikan : Colomo & Berta 2005: 79

Mischocyttarus (Omega) buyssoni (Ducke) : Obrecht, E. & Huber, C. 1993: 179; Silveira, 2008: 515, 517, 519, 522, 527, 538

Diagnosis. Female. Length of fore wing 9–10mm. Color black, with few yellow spots and marks; posterior ocelli less widely separated than in most species of this group; pronotal carina lower at center and straight there for a short stretch, projecting at sides as rather large humeral lobes ( Fig. 23 ); propodeal median furrow wide with anterior extremity round; first metasomal segment short for this species-group ( Fig. 9 ), length less than [mesoscutum + scutellum + metanotum], apex 2.5 × wider than basal petiole; mesoscutum sculpture rather weak, with punctures of two very distinct size-classes, larger ones more sparse and smaller ones very dense often coalescent, integument rather dull.

Redescription. Female. Fore wing length 9–10mm. Head about as high as wide in frontal view ( Fig. 20 ), FHH/IntOW ca. 1.06; clypeus poorly convex, slightly higher than wide, H/WCLP 1.14; apex rather widely truncate (ca. half of antennal socket diameter); malar space very narrow; tentorial pit closer to eye than to antennal socket; antennal scape comparatively short and broad, L/Wesc ca. 2.5; posterior ocelli less widely separated than in most species of this group; POL/OOL ca. 1.20; occipital carina well developed, distinct in lateral view and ending below the level of ocular sinus and outwards in relation to margin of pre-foraminal concavity; gena considerably narrower than eye at level of ocular sinus; pronotum without a lateral fovea; anterior margin of pronotum with lamella raised and reflexed in central portion, in profile as a lip turned backwards in more than 180 degrees; region immediately behind the lamella without secondary margin; humeral angle well developed WCAR/WMS 1.18; pronotal carina distinctly lamellate, middle section lower and straight (from above), projecting at sides forming large humeral lobes ( Fig. 23 ), these clearly reflexed on lateral extremity; mesoscutum as long as wide L/WMS 1.0; fore wing very elongated, LDIS/HMP 2.56; hind tarsal claws asymmetrical, the inner one longer with apex rounded, but not enlarged or spoon-shaped; scutellum and metanotum little convex; propodeum with median furrow wide and deep with anterior extremity round, developed on more than 4/5 of the length of propodeal dorsum, propodeal valve more expanded below in lateral view, with triangular outline; first metasomal segment short for this species-group ( Fig. 9 ), LSI/ HMP 1.16, L/WSI 2.94, apex 2.5 × wider than basal petiole; spiracles poorly prominent; tergite 2 about as long as wide; metasomal sternum 1 with a basal central shallow depression.

Sculpture. Disk of clypeus with weak medium-sized punctures and distinct micropunctures, area close to ventral margin without micropunctures; mandibles with shallow medium-sized punctures; upper interantennal area and frons similar to clypeus, but with punctures smaller; mesoscutum sculpture with punctures of two distinct sizeclasses, the smaller ones being very dense, often coalescent; pronotum humeral area with sculpture similar to that of mesoscutum; pleuron sculpture similar to that of mesoscutum, but with punctures a little shallower and less dense, interstices distinctly shining; scutellum and metanotum similar to mesoscutum; propodeum with very shallow and sparse medium-sized to large punctures, integument very shining there; propodeal median furrow in some specimens with an anterior short median keel.

Vestiture. Eyes bare; head and mesosoma with conspicuous appressed or decumbent hairs; longer and stouter hairs on clypeus, frons, mandibles and mesoscutum; those on pleuron and propodeum longer but finer and more decumbent; metasoma with appressed pubescence, and more stout and erect hairs on sterna; base of first metasomal segment with rather long and fine hairs before spiracles (most specimens in poor preservation condition).

Color. Black. Ventral margin of clypeus; most of mandible; tegula; ventral lateral area of pronotum; ventral distal areas of metapleuron and propodeum, varying tones of brown; antennal flagellum beneath, orange brown; base of mandible (sometimes), narrow lateral marks on clypeus, inner and outer orbit up to level of ocular sinus (in both cases), small lateral spots on vertex adjoining eyes, margin of pronotal humeral lobes narrowly, hind margin of pronotum (sometimes interrupted medially), lateral anterior discal spots and part of axillar crest of scutellum and metanotum, propodeal valve very narrowly, ventral median mesosternal area, anterior face of mid coxa, two posterior elongated marks on hind coxa, two elongated marks on mid and hind femora, large apical spots on mid and hind tibiae, yellow; anterior face of fore femur and tibia (posterior face with yellow marks), inner face of mid and hind tibiae (joining apical yellow spots), all tarsi, yellowish testaceous. Sometimes, yellow marks strongly reduced, lacking on clypeus, mesosoma, metasomal terga, or interrupted as on outer orbit. Wings hyaline, with brown veins.

Male. Size smaller, fore wing length 8.5 mm; clypeus flat or discal area slightly concave, a little wider than high (Fig. 28), H/WCLP 0.97, apical margin round, not angulated; mandible with three apical teeth, flattened at base; antennal scape short and robust, dorsal surface distinctly convex, ventral surface flat; L/Wesc 2.18; antennal apex thin and spirally rolled, articles 10–12 distinctly longer than wide, article 13 very long and thin, slightly curved and compressed, as long as articles 10+11+12; upper interantennal area raised and projecting; posterior occeli more widely separated than in female, POL/OOL 1.4; metasomal sterna 4 to 6 sometimes flattened, in addition to 7 that is regularly so. In respect to color, additional yellow areas are the face between clypeus and frons, and two paired ventral mesopleuron spots; antennal flagellum beneath also yellowish testaceous.

Genitalia (see Silveira, 2008, Figs 129, 130). Aedeagus from above with distal portion narrow, then suddenly expanding to form a well differentiated apex which is distinctly angular at sides; aedeagus basal area as a linear anteriorly produced lobe, ventral process as a small rounded lobe; digitus rather short, triangular, practically glabrous, setae very small and indistinct; outer surface of paramere distally without hairs; parameral spine nearly glabrous.

Nest. The nest of M. buyssoni was previously described by Ducke (1907), Zikan (1935) and more recently by Richards (1978). It has an oval comb, attached to the substrate by a stout central pedicel. The nest illustrated by Ducke (1907) was found under a Magnolia Linnaeus sp. leaf, and the nest illustrated by Zikan (1935) on an orange tree leaf.

Geographic distribution. BRAZIL: Minas Gerais: Passos; Rio de Janeiro: Itatiaia, R. de Janeiro; São Paulo *: Santo Amaro. (see Fig. 34 )

Remarks. Ducke (1906) described this species based on a series of 9 females collected by himself in Rio de Janeiro—RJ (x.1905 and x.1906), and each of these females appears to have received a red type label. Richards (1978) designated as lectotype a specimen from the type series deposited at the London Museum (NHM) and, consequently, the remaining specimens from the original series examined by him are paralectotypes, as follows: female 16.x.05 (MNHN, Paris); female i.1906 (MZUSP, 17.081); female 5.i.1906 [Natural History Museum, Bern; designated by Carpenter (1999) and mentioned in Obrecht & Huber (1993)]; female 12.i.1906 (Humboldt Natural History Museum, Berlin); 2 females 5.i.1906, female 7.i. 1906 (MPEG, Belém). So, only one specimen of the original series is missing.

Richards (1978) synonymized M. cristatus Zikan with M. buyssoni Ducke. He also included in the synonymy M. cristatoides Zikán , a supposed social parasite indicated by Zikan (1935). We examined series of specimens related to both names, noting that M. buyssoni specimens are larger (fore wing length: ca. 11mm in M. buyssoni ; ca. 8mm in M. cristatus ), with brighter and more extensive yellow marks (frons, vertex, pronotal carina, metanotum and metasoma), and has the first metasomal segment more elongated and narrower basally, while M. cristatus specimens have the first metasomal segment shorter and widening more regularly from base to apex. Richards´s decision on the synonymy of these names was based on a female specimen (Passos-MG/BR 5–10.viii.63 Claudionor Elias; DZUP) that presented a combination of characters from both forms. We chose to maintain this synonymy after the analysis of the referred specimen. The distribution of M. buyssoni is here expanded to include São Paulo state (also in southeastern Brazil), based on two females (mounted on the same pin; Santo Amaro, Estado S. Paulo, 21.iv.1933) in the Zikán Collection at IOC.

Examined material. BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro: Rio de Janeiro, 2♀ 5.i.1906, 1♀ 7.i.1906, A. Ducke (MPEG), 1♀ 5.i.1906, A. Ducke (NMBE), Itatiaia, 1♀ 1♂ 25.iii.1933, 1♂ 3.iv.1933, 2♀ 3.v.1933, 1♀ 31.i.1942, J.F. Zikán (IOC) 1♀ 25.iii.1933, J.F. Zikán (MZUSP), 1♂ 25.iii.1933, J.F. Zikán (MNRJ); Minas Gerais: Passos, ♀ 5–10.viii.1963, C. Elias (DZUP); São Paulo: Santo Amaro, 2 ♀ 21.iv.1933 (IOC).

Figures

FIGURE 34. Partial truncated map of South America with distributions of species of the M. filiformis group. Embedded frame box shows enlarged area representation with the records of M. filiformis, M. omicron, M. asahi sp. nov., M. kallindusfloren sp. nov. and M. nazgul sp. nov. within the Carajás National Forest (FLONA) in southeastern Pará state.

FIGURES 6–13. General dorsal or lateral body views (females; all from Brazil, except 10 and 11). 6 a-b: holotype of M. filiformis (NHM); 7: same species (Pará, Belém, Utinga; MPEG); 8: holotype of M. omicron (NHM); 9: M. buyssoni (R. de Janeiro; MPEG); 10–11: holotype of M. napoensis (Ecuador; NHM); 12: holotype of M. kallindusfloren sp. nov. (Pará, Carajás; MPEG); 13: holotype of M. asahi sp. nov. (Pará, Carajás; MPEG). all scales = 1.00 mm.

FIGURES 14–20. Head in frontal view (except 17, posterior view) (females; all from Brazil, except 14 and 16) 14: M. filiformis (Bolivia, Beni; NHM); 15 and 17: M. omicron (Pará, Carajás; MPEG); 16: holotype of M. napoensis (Ecuador; NHM); 18: holotype of M. kallindusfloren sp. nov. (Pará, Carajás; MPEG); 19: holotype of M. asahi sp. nov. (Pará, Carajás; MPEG); 20: M. buyssoni (R. de Janeiro; MPEG); all scales = 0.50 mm. Figure 21: colony and nest of M. filiformis (Pará, Belém; campus of MPEG)—nest size 1,5 × 1,2 cm.

FIGURES 22–27. Anterior dorsal view of mesosoma (females, except 27; all from Brazil). 22: M. filiformis (Pará, Belém, Utinga; MPEG); 23: M. buyssoni (R. de Janeiro; MPEG); 24: M. omicron (Pará, Carajás; MPEG); 25: holotype of M. asahi sp. nov. (Pará, Carajás; MPEG); 26: holotype of M. kallindusfloren sp. nov. (Pará, Carajás; MPEG); 27: holotype of M. nazgul sp. nov. (Pará, Carajás; MPEG); all scales = 0.50 mm.