Mischocyttarus chalucas Snelling, 1983

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 : 160-161

Mischocyttarus chalucas Snelling, 1983

Mischocyttarus chalucas Snelling, 1983: 277 , Figs. 8–11 ; Holotype, female, Mexico, Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutierrez , 7 vi 1964, J.D. & D. Pallister (AMNH) [photographs of holotype and a male paratype examined]

Mischocyttarus punctatus : Ducke, 1918: 58; Richards, 1978: 371 (misidentification).

Mischocyttarus chalucas : Silveira, 2008: 512.

Short redescription. Female: wing length 7.0– 7.5 mm. Female clypeus wider than high, ratio H/WCL 0.93–0.96; first metasomal segment extremely short, LSI/HMP 1.28–1.39, with the apex ca.2.14 times wider than the basal petiole; pronotal carina exceptionally low at sides for this group, with very narrow lamella; lamella of anteromedial margin of pronotum distinctly less reflexed at middle than in other species; mesoscutum with punctures of two very distinct size-classes, the larger ones ca. 0.06 mm or more, the smaller typically with less than 0.02 mm, often hard to visualize; frons with medium-sized punctures and nearly indistinguishable micropunctures; punctures on head just anterior to occipital carina stronger. Yellow colored parts often more restricted, female clypeus almost entirely reddish tinged, pronotum laterally and mesopleuron similarly colored, with black areas much reduced, propodeal spots small. Male antennal article 13 well elongate, measuring about 0.27 mm, and being ca. 2.7 times longer than broad, ca. 0.7 times as long as article 12 + 11, these articles proportionally rather robust, article 12 ca. 1.4 and article 11 ca. 1.1 times as long as broad.

Detailed color description: ground color black. Antenna above, most of legs, disk of metasomal terga, dark brown. Ventral side of antenna, very light brown; clypeus almost entirely, connected to an interantennal dark mark. Apical and distal margins and teeth of mandible; posterior region of head and mouth parts, large area on pronotum at sides; anterior half of mesepisternal plate; mesopleuron almost entirely; large median area on mesosternum; antero-lateral aspect of tegula; whole metapleuron and latero-anterior region of propodeum; extensive areas on fore coxa, femur, tibia and tarsus; anterior aspects of mid coxa, femur and tibia; mid tarsus beneath; anterior aspects of hind coxa, femur and tibia, and hind tarsus beneath, light reddish brown. Most of mandible; small spot on apical region of clypeus; inner and outer orbits; narrow supra-antennal concave wave-like mark, interrupted at center; anterior narrow band encircling anterior region of pronotum (over carina and descending on sides) and narrow strip along posterior margin; posterior half of mesepisternal plate; small posterior ventral spot and articular region of mesopleuron; small posterior spot on tegula; anterior half of scutellum (divided by a median line); mesoaxillae; metanotum anteriorly; metaxillae; two medium-sized spots on propodeum; valvular region; outer marginal area of fore coxa; distal spot on fore femur; dorso-lateral stripe on fore tibia; dorsum of first and last segment of fore tarsus; one stripe on mid coxa; two stripes on hind coxa; distal mark on mid and hind femora; elongated stripe on dorsal aspect of mid tibia; apical spot on mid and hind tibia; distal band on metasomal tergum I; distal and lateral margins narrowly of terga II to VI; distal expanded region of sternum I just posterior to spiracle, and distal margin (broadened medially) of sterna II to VI, yellow; wings hyaline with brown veins.

Nest: unknown.

Distribution: Mexico, Costa Rica.

Remarks. The record of M. chalucas from Costa Rica is new, being distant one thousand kilometers from the original type locality in Mexico (Chiapas), although their conspecificity is unequivocal. Sculpture and the very extensive reddish areas (including clypeus) are distinctive. Ducke’s (1918) recording of “ M. punctatus ” from Córdoba (further north in Mexico) probably refers to M. chalucas .

Examined material: Costa Rica: 3 females, 1 male, Heredia, Estación Biol. La Selva , 10 25’ N 84 0’ W, 80 m, 15/vi/1996, G.A. R . Melo ( UFPR) .

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.