Mischocyttarus verissimoi Silveira, 2015

Silveira, Orlando Tobias, Silva, Suzanna de Sousa & Felizardo, Sherlem Patricia de Seixas, 2015, Notes on social wasps of the group of Mischocyttarus (Omega) punctatus (Ducke), with description of six new species (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae), Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 59 (3), pp. 154-168 : 164-165

Mischocyttarus verissimoi Silveira sp. nov. ( Figs. 6 , 11G and 12D )

Holotype: female, Brazil, Amazonas , 60 km N Manaus, 18.1 km E Campinas field station, 02 30’ S 60 15’ W, 22/ii/1979, Montgomery, Erwin, Schimmel, Krischik, Date, Bacon colls. (canopy fogged with Pyrethrum) ( INPA).

Diagnosis. Female: wing length 7.5–8.0 mm; clypeus practically as high as wide; first metasomal segment considerably long and narrow, LSI/HMP 1.55–1.6; occipital carina less developed in lateral view, fading down at the level of ocular sinus, and (from behind) positioned more inwards in a direction that is coincident with the lateral margin of pre-foraminal concavity situated just below; punctures on mesoscutum grading rather continuously from ca. 0.02 to 0.05 mm; yellow marks on head and mesosoma very extensive, including most of median ventral areas; metasomal segments black or dark brown with distal yellow bands.

Description. Female: length of fore wing 7.5–8.0 mm. Head nearly as high as wide in frontal view; clypeus practically as high as wide, ratio H/WCL 1.0–1.04, apex narrowly truncate; malar space nearly obsolete; tentorial pit much closer to eye margin than to antennal socket; ocelli as in an equilateral triangle, narrowly separated from eyes, POL/OOL about 1.0; occipital carina less developed in lateral view, fading down at the level of ocular sinus, and (from behind) positioned more inwards in a direction that is coincident with the lateral margin of pre-foraminal concavity situated just below (see as reference Fig. 11N ); gena considerably narrower than the upper lobe of the eye. Pronotum without a lateral fovea, central part of the anterior margin of pronotum with the lamella raised and strongly reflexed, with contour profile reaching more than 180 degrees; region immediately behind the lamella without secondary margin; humeral angle well developed, produced into a strong lobe, pronotal carina very high at sides, lamella very wide measuring 0.16–0.19 mm, total width of carina ( WCAR) from 1.11 to 1.16 times larger than that of mesoscutum; mesoscutum a fraction longer than wide, L/WMS ca. 1.05. Fore wing well-elongated, LDIS /HMP ca. 2.05. Inner claw of hind tarsus with the apex uniformly rounded, but not enlarged or spoon-shaped. Propodeum with median furrow relatively wide and shallow, developed on 4/5 of the length of propodeal dorsum, propodeal valve strongly expanded backward, with outline more semioval than triangular. First metasomal segment considerably long and narrow ( Fig. 6 ), LSI/HMP 1.55–1.6, with the apex 1.88–2.12 times wider than the basal petiole; spiracles considerably prominent.

Sculpture: moderately strong and conspicuous, largely covered by rather abundant pubescence.Disk of clypeus with medium-sized punctures and nearly indistinguishable micropunctures, area close to the ventral margin finely reticulate with sparse larger punctures, shining; upper interantennal area and frons with puncture diameter variable, small punctures larger and more easily distinguishable. Mesoscutum sculpture with disordered aspect, puncture diameter grading rather continuously from ca. 0.02 to 0.05 mm ( Fig. 11G ), if the upper size is a little larger, then the small punctures tend to be predominantly larger than 0.02 mm, never very small; mesopleuron and propodeum sculpture with small-sized punctures finer; propodeum central area around median furrow smooth, unpunctured; integument in general very shining.

Vestiture: eyes bare; head and mesosoma with very conspicuous whitish appressed or decumbent pilosity; longer and stouter hairs on clypeus, frons and mesoscutum, those on pleuron and propodeum still longer but finer and more decumbent; metasomal terga with appressed pubescence, and more erect hairs on distal segments; first metasomal sternum with very smooth and shining integument, nearly absolutely glabrous except for rather sparse fine and curved hairs; remaining sterna with appressed pubescence, with longer and more erect hairs on distal segments, besides those of glandular brushes.

Color: black (see Fig. 12D ). Antenna above (sometimes dorsum of scape lighter); areas on metapleuron and latero-anterior region of propodeum (sometimes lighter); posterior and lateral areas on mid and hind coxae, posterior surfaces of trochanters; posterior and ventral surfaces of femora and tibiae; mid and hind tarsi; ground color of all metasomal terga and sterna, dark brown. Inner and ventral aspects of antenna (especially distal articles), very light brown. Mandible teeth and apical and lateral margins narrowly, dark reddish brown. Narrow spot on clypeus (connected to an interantennal darker mark); posterior region of head medially; posterior lateral area on pronotum (sometimes darker); sometimes mesopleural areas bordering a large “Y-shaped” black mark; sometimes median area on mesosternum; extensive areas on legs especially on anterior aspect of all femora, trochanters and tibiae, light reddish brown. Most of mandible and clypeus (around a central elongate mark); inner and outer orbits; narrow supra-antennal concave “Vshaped” mark; gena and posterior lateral aspect of head and estipes of maxilla; band encircling anterior region of pronotum (over carina and descending on sides), widening at ventral corner and strip along posterior margin, very narrow on postero-lateral margin along pretegular carina; very extensive areas on mesopleuron and mesosternum around dark marks, including most of mesepisternal plate; dorsal spot on upper metapleural plate; posterior spot on lower metapleural plate; inner posterior mark on tegula (outer area amber-like, translucent); small mark on base of anterior wing; anterior half of scutellum (divided by a median line), with spots on mesoscutellar crest and axilla; most of metanotum anteriorly with small spot on axilla; two large-sized spots on propodeum (circular or more lung-shaped); valvular region; most of anterior and lateral surfaces of fore coxa; distal margin of anterior trochanter narrowly; distal spot on fore femur; dorso-lateral stripe on fore tibia; dorsum of first and fifth segments of fore tarsus; most of anterior surface of mid coxa; two dorsal stripes and a ventral mark on hind coxa; distal mark on mid and hind femora; elongated stripe on dorsal surface and distal spot on mid tibia; apical spot on hind tibia; basal elongate window-like mark (sometimes absent) and distal marginal band on metasomal tergum I, extending forward at sides up to a point just anterior to the spiracle; distal and lateral margins of terga II to VI; distal expanded region of sternum I; distal margin of sterna II to VI, yellow. Wings hyaline with brown veins.

Male: unknown.

Nest. There are two nests from La Macarena ( Colombia) in the London Museum ( NHM), one of them with associated data agreeing with one of the two paratypes (9-18/xi/1976, M. Cooper; Note 144). This is a fragmentary comb with four completed cells, attached by a narrow pedicel to a filiform plant stem similar to that of Cuscuta trichostyla , which is also used as substrate by M. caxiuana sp. nov. and M. rodriguesi sp. nov. (see Figs. 13A, C and 14D ), The other nest is a similar fragment of just three cells attached by a pedicel to a more robust vegetal stem, more like a narrow vine, about five times wider than the filiform stem of Cuscuta .

Distribution: Brazil ( AM); Colombia (Meta).

Etymology: the specific epithet is in homage to José Veríssimo Dias de Matos (1857–1916), a Brazilian writer and former director of the Pará State Board of Education who had a very important role in the reorganization of the “Museu Paraense” in 1891.

Remarks. As stated before, M. verissimoi sp. nov. is very similar to M. caxiuana sp., nov., but the female has the clypeus as high as wide, the first metasomal segment more slender, and the metasomal segments darker, black, or brown. The sculpture of the mesoscutum is also distinct, with the pattern of grading puncture sizes more similar to that of M. punctatus and M. ryani sp. nov. The holotype of M. verissimoi sp. nov. was collected by fogging the canopy of an Amazonian rainforest.

Additional material examined (Paratypes): Colombia, Meta, La Macarena , 1 female, 1/iii/1976, 1 female, 9-18/xi/1976, (Note 144) M. Cooper ( NHM) .

Figures

Figs. 1–10. Schematic drawings showing proportions and measurements of body parts. 1–6: first metasomal segment in dorsal view respectively of: (1) Mischocyttarus ryani sp. nov.; (2) M. punctatus; (3) M. anchicaya sp. nov.; (4) M. rodriguesi sp. nov.; (5) M. caxiuana sp. nov.; (6) M. verissimoi sp. nov. (length =2.78 mm); (7) head, frontal; (8) pronotum and mesoscutum, dorsal; (9) mesosoma, lateral; (10) left anterior wing. FHH: height of head; INTOW: distance between eyes at ocular sinus; HCLP, WCLP: height and width of clypeus; WCAR: width of pronotal carina; LMS, WMS: length and width of mesoscutum; HMP: height of mesopleuron; LDIS: length of discal cell of fore wing; LSI,WSI:length and apical width of first metasomal segment.

Fig. 11. (A–H) Partial halves of anterior mesosoma to show pronotal carina and mesoscutal sculpture (scale as in B):(A) Mischocyttarus rodriguesi sp. nov.; (B) M.caxiuana sp. nov.; (C) M. punctatus; (D) M. ryani sp. nov.; (E) M. tayrona sp. nov.; (F) M. anchicaya sp. nov.; (G) M. verissimoi sp. nov.; (H) M. vaqueroi. (I–L) Detail of mesoscutal sculpture (scale bar= 0.1mm): (I) M. anchicaya sp. nov.; (J) M. ryani sp. nov.; (K) M. rodriguesi sp. nov.; (L) M. caxiuana sp. nov. (M–N) Posterior view of head showing pre-foraminal region and occipital carina (scale as in N): (M) M. vaqueroi; (N) M. caxiuana sp. nov.

Fig. 12. General lateral views of holotype females of: (A) Mischocyttarus tayrona sp. nov.; (B) M.anchicaya sp. nov.; (C) M. caxiuana sp. nov.; (D) M. verissimoi sp. nov.; (E) M. rodriguesi sp. nov.; (F) M. ryani sp. nov.

Fig.13. (A) Nest of M.rodriguesi sp. nov. (nest A;Caxiuanã,PA) showing attachment to stem of Cuscuta trichostyla; (A1) detail of attachment of basal cell of nest A to the substrate plant; (B) nest fragment of M. rodriguesi sp. nov. (nest B; Caxiuanã, PA); (C) large fragment of abandoned nest of the M.punctatus group (Juruti, PA) showing several incomplete cells and long “interconnecting stalks”.

Fig. 14. (A) Large colony (ca. 40 cm) of Mischocyttarus ryani sp. nov. (Lençóis, BA); (B and C) details of other two colonies of M. ryani sp. nov. showing individuals raising their bodies on mid and hind legs (same place); (D) mature inflorescence of a vine wherein colonies of M. ryani sp. n. were also found (same place); (E) small colony (nest A) with individual female of M. rodriguesi sp. nov., hanging from a Cuscuta trichostyla filiform stem in deep Amazonian rainforest (Caxiuanã, PA); (F) small colony with three females on a forked nest of M. vaqueroi, hanging from a suspense root, in Caxiuanã (PA).