Zethus mexicanus ( Linnaeus, 1758 ), 1855

Golfetti, Ivan F., Lopes, Rogério B. & Noll, Fernando B., 2020, Taxonomic revision and cladistic analysis of the species of Zethus mexicanus group (Linnaeus, 1758) sensu Bohart & Stange, 1965 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Eumeninae), Zootaxa 4743 (3), pp. 337-358 : 348-349

Zethus mexicanus ( Linnaeus, 1758)

Apis surinamensis Linnaeus, 1758: 575–579 . Suriname (?Stocolm); 1767: 953 (renamed Apis mexicana ). Olivier, 1789: 66 ( Suriname; French Guiana: Cayenne).

Type: Holotype: Suriname: male, UK (Museu Nacional Railway).

Apis mexicana Linnaeus, 1767: 953 (new name A. surinamensis Linnaeus, 1758 ). Muller, 1775: 892. Olivier, 1789: 79. Gmelin, 1790: 2772. Christ, 1791: 199.

Vespa recurvirostris DeGeer, 1773: 579 . “ Brazil ” (Lectotype male in Stocolm). Retzius, 1783: 63. de Saussure,1855: 116 (syn. of Z. mexicanus ; genus Zethus ).

Type: Lectotype: Brazil: male, Stocolm (Swedish Museum of Natural History).

Vespa mexicana ; Olivier, 1792: 673 ( French Guiana: Caiena). Tigny, 1802: 66 ( Suriname; French Guiana: Caiena); 1828: 280 ( Suriname; French Guiana: Caiena).

Vespa cyanipennis Fabricius, 1793: 277 . ( Guyane Franceise—“Cayenne”) (Lectotype female in Kobenhavn). Coquebert, 1799: 2. Jurine, 1807: 170.

Type: Lectotype: French Guiana: Caiena , female, Denmark (Museum Zoologist Universidad of Copenhague).

Eumenes cyanipennis Latreille, 1802: 361 ; 1805: 345.

Polistes cyanipennis Fabricius, 1804: 275 ( French Guiana:Caiena). Latreille, 1809: 138 (syn. de Eumenes (Zethus) coeruleopennis ). Lepeletier, 1825: 172.

Zethus cyanipennis Klug, 1807: 52 . Lamarck, 1817: 84; 1835: 301 ( French Guiana: Caiena). de Saussure, 1855: 116 (syn. Z. mexicanus (Linnaeus) genus Zethus ); 1852: 12 (female, male, French Guiana: Caiena); 1858: 63. Desmarest, 1859: 143. de Saussure, 1875: 17 (syn. de Z. recurvirostris (DeGeer) genus Zethus ). Bohart & Stange, 1962: 30 (Lectotype); 1965: 133 (syn. mexicanus mexicanus (Linnnaeus)) .

Zethus lugubris Perty, 1833: 144 , female ( Brazil, “Provincia Piauhiensi”), (München). de Saussure, 1852: 11, female ( Brazil). Smith, 1857: 10 (catalogue). de Saussure, 1875: 17 (syn. de Z. recurvirostris (DeGeer) genus Zethus ). new. syn.

Type: Holotype: Brazil: Brasília , female, France ( MNHN). Examined.

Zethus mexicanus de Saussure, 1855: 116 (syns.: Z. cyanipennis (Fabricius) and Vespa recurvirostris DeGeer ). Smith, 1857: 11 (catalogue). Dalla Torre, 1894: 12 (catalogue); 1904: 16 (catalogue). Ducke, 1905: 171. Schulz, 1905: 106. Brèthes, 1906: 6 ( Paraguay: Assunção). Ducke, 1910: 119 ( Brazil; Paraguay). Zavattari, 1911: 44 ( Paraguay: 3 localities); 1912: 10 (key), 16 (synonymic). Cameron, 1912: 224 ( Guyana). Ducke, 1914: 320, 326 (nest). Bertoni, 1918: 205 ( Paraguay). van der Vecht, 1959: 211 (note in the name Linnaeus).

Zethus cyanipennis var. lugubris de Saussure, 1858: 63 .

Zethus recurvirostris de Saussure, 1875: 17 (genus Zethus ; syn.: Vespa mexicana Linnaeus , cyanipennis Fabricius ; Brazil). Fox, 1899: 407 ( Brazil: Chapada). Bohart & Stange, 1965: 133 (Lectotype; syn. Z. mexicanus (Linnaeus)) .

Zethus mexicanus var. lugubris Dalla Torre, 1894: 12 (cataloghe). Brèthes, 1903: 250. Dalla Torre, 1904: 16 (catalogue). Bertoni, 1918: 205 ( Paraguay). Bodkin, 1918: 312 ( Guiana).

Zethus mexicanus lugubris Zavattari, 1912: 19 (genus Zethus ; Brazil). Bohart and Stange, 1965: 128 (key), (subgenus Zethusculus ; syn.: Z. mexicanus rufus Zavattari ; Brazil; Peru; Bolivia; Paraguay). Stange, 1975: 80, 89, 92 (key). n. syn.

Zethus mexicanus rufus Zavattari, 1912: 19 , female (genus Zethus ) (“Brazilien: Salto Grande”) (Berlin). Bohart and Stange, 1965: 132 (synonymic Z. mexicanus lugubris Perty subgenus Zethusculus ).

Zethus mexicanus mexicanus Zavattari, 1912: 19 (genus Zethus : México; Brazil; Suriname; French Guiana; Colombia; Paraguay).

Zethus surinamensis Bertoni, 1921: 11 (propose of change the name mexicanus to surinamensis ).

Zethus mexicanus mexicanus Bohart & Stange, 1965: 13 , 16, 128 (key), (male; subgenus Zethusculus ; synonymic; Colombia; Venezuela; Peru; Trinidad; Guiana; Suriname; French Guiana; norte do Brazil). Stange, 1997: 319 ( Venezuela). stat. rev.

Zethus mexicanus erythrogena Bohart & Stange, 1965: 128 (key), (male, female, subgenus Zethusculus ) (“ Brazil: Diamantina, Minas Gerais ”) (Holotype male); and another localities in Brazil. n. syn.

Type: Holotype: Brazil: Diamantina , Minas Gerais, male, USA (Cornell University).

Paratype: Brazil: Minas Gerais: Pirapara, ♀, Brazil ( MZUSP). Examined .

Material additional examined: 21♂, 33♀. (Appendix I). Diagnosis. Large individuals. Only member of the group with angled tegula ( Fig. 5A ).

Redescription. Male:As described for Z. brasiliensis except: Coloration: black head except: apex of clypeus reddish; mesopleura, metapleura, metanotum, propodeum, petiole ventrally and legs red-orange. Structure: Tegula with posterior margin angled; the anterior surface of the mesepisternum micro-striate; S5 and S6 with robust ligulate processes. Sculpture: Strio-punctuation above the carina interantennal less evident. Chaeototaxy: Yellowish; T3 to T7, hairiness is not so visible.

Female:As described for the male except: Coloration: Clypeus all black; antennae without yellowish areas. Structure: Clypeus without concavity and apical teeth; mandible tetradentated with the third tooth molariform; anterior face of the mesepisternum without micro-stries. Sculpture: Absence of transverse interantennal carina and frontal strio-punctuation.

Variations: Some specimens, both males as females, feature a variation about the coloring in the following parts: clypeus almost completely reddish in males and at least two-thirds in females; mandibles and gena reddish; petiole may be from completely dark until completely red. This gradient of coloration was used for differentiation of the subspecies Z. m. mexicanus , Z. m. erythrogena and Z. m. lugubris .

Figures

FIGURE 5. Tegula, dorsal view. a) Zethus mexicanus. b) Zethus brasiliensis. Arrows indicate the posterior margin of the tegula. Scale: 1 mm.