Protopolybia exigua

Dos Santos Junior, José N. A., Silveira, Orlando T. & Carpenter, James M., 2015, Phylogeny of Protopolybia Ducke, 1905 and taxonomic revision of the Protopolybia exigua species-group (Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Polistinae), with description of four new species, Zootaxa 3956 (2), pp. 151-182 : 155-157

Protopolybia exigua (de Saussure, 1854)

(Figs 35, 37, 39, 69, 76, 83)

Polybia exigua de Saussure, 1854: 173 (holotype: ♀, Le Brésil [ Brazil], Sud of La Capitanerie of Goyaz (date and collector not specified) (MNHN); photograph examined).

Protopolybia palmarum: Blanchard 1868: 415 .

Protopolybia sedula (de Saussure): Ducke 1910: 474 (part.; misidentification).

Protopolybia minutissima var. exigua: Bequaert 1944a: 108 .

Protopolybia minutissima var. sedula (de Saussure): Bequaert 1944a: 109 (misidentification).

Protopolybia exigua exigua: Richards 1978: 138 , 142.

Protopolybia palmarum Blanchard : Silveira & Carpenter 1995: 53 (synonymized with exigua ).

Diagnosis. Length of fore wing 4.8 mm; T1 with petiole short, almost as long as wide (Fig. 39); clypeus with ventral margin narrowly subtruncated, frons with trilobate spot (Fig. 35); vertex with two large non-oblique yellow marks (Fig. 37); T2 with basal band or oblique subcontiguous spots, and distal band.

Redescription. FEMALE. Length of fore wing 4.8 mm; clypeus narrow, much higher than minimum width (HClp=1.19; MxWClp=1.24;TeW=0.85; MiWClp = 0.53 mm), with ventral margin narrowly subtruncated; tentorial pit closer to antennal socket than to eye margin; interantennal area relatively wide, approximately 2 × diameter of antennal socket; mandibles relatively short with length 0.6 × distance between eyes at vertex; occipital carina distinct, extending over approximately three forth of height of gena in lateral view, terminating before articulation of mandibles; pronotal carina obtuse, visible laterally as protuberance; pronotal fovea distinct, preceded by linear prominence; length of mesoscutum 0.95 × its width; mesepisternal groove absent; scutellum with short but wellmarked median line; metanotum triangular, length of median axis 0.81 × width of central disk; propodeum gently convex around narrow median groove; T1 with short petiole, almost as long as wide (Fig. 39); T1 notably narrower than T2.

Frons distinctly reticulated; mesoscutum finely reticulated; scutellum and metanotum with fine punctures, ventral region of mesopleuron with distinct punctures; T2–T5 with posterior margin punctate; clypeus with short golden bristles, except along inferior margin, which has elongated bristles; eyes with minute and sparse bristles; body almost completely with short bristles; propodeum with long and sparse bristles.

Black, richly marked by yellow spots; antennae ventrally testaceous or brown, dorsally black; mandibles, clypeus almost entirely, inner and outer orbit with wide bands that extend to vertex and occiput, frons with trilobate mark (Fig. 35), two wide marks on vertex (Fig. 37), extensive mark on pronotal carina and fovea, two stripes on mesoscutum, tegulae partially (Fig. 37), large spot on mesepisternum extending to area below scrobe, two spots on metapleuron, scutellum and metanotum partially, propodeum with paired dorsal marks, distal band on T1, basal band or oblique subcontiguous spots, and distal band on T2, T3–T5 with distal band, yellow. Coxae yellow, femora black, tibiae brown to black; tarsi brown; wings hyaline, venation brown.

MALE. Length of fore wing 4.5 mm; eyes wide, strongly produced inwards; clypeus narrow, longer than wide, with elongated silvery bristles, ventral margin little produced and narrowly subtruncated; tentorial pit closer to eye margin than to antennal socket; gena very narrow; mandible and clypeus yellow; eyes internally bordered by band that continues to vertex; anterior margin of T2 with two lateral yellow bands. Parameral spine without elongate bristles; basal angle of paramere widened, apical angle narrow ( Fig. 69 ); digitus narrow ( Fig. 76 ), with apical margin rounded; basal process of digitus acuminate; cuspis with elongated bristles; ventral process of aedeagus curved, not projecting laterally, strongly sclerotized and laterally serrated ( Fig.83 ); preapical region of aedeagus rounded, not angular.

FIGURES 35–40. 35, 37, 39. Protopolybia exigua ; 36, 38, 40. P. diligens ;.

Material examined. BOLIVIA: Santa Cruz, 37 ♀, 13 ♂, 40 km S, 12.i.1991 (Carpenter & Wenzel) ( AMNH); PARAGUAY: Concepcion, 2 ♀, Estância San Luis, 19–27.x.1999 (B. Garcete) ( INBPY); BRAZIL: Bahia, 1 ♀, Cidade da Barra, x.1913 (E. Garbe) ( MZUSP); Brasilia DF, 3 ♀, Universidade, 27.v.1982 (A. Raw), 4 ♀, D. Federal (R. Arlé) (UFRJ-MN); Espirito Santo, 1♀, Sta. Tereza, 1–8.ix.1967 (C. & C.T. Elias) ( UFPR); Goiás, 1 ♀, Colinas do Sul, Serra da Mesa 2–15.xii.1995, 14°01’S 48°12’W (Silvestre Dietz & Campaner), 1 ♀ Alvorada do Norte, Faz. Mattos, vii.1991 (S.T.P. Amarante & C.F. Martins) ( MZUSP), 4 ♀, Goiaz [=Goiás], Campinas, 1934 (T. Borgmeier) (UFRJ-MN), 2 ♀, Corumbá de G., 05.ii.1962 (J & B. Bechyné) ( MPEG); Maranhão: 1 ♀, Caxias, 10.vi.1978, (F.F. Ramos) ( MPEG), 4 ♀, Bom Jesus, Urbano Santos, 02°33’S 44°16’W, 30.xi.2003 (Azevedo G.G. & Silva S.S) ( UFMA); Mato Grosso, 3 ♀, Chapada dos Guimarães, Fazenda Buriti, 18.xi.1982 (Marcio Zanuto & W. Overal), 2 ♀, 8–13.ii.1986, 1 ♀, 13–17.ii. 1986 (I.S. Gorayeb), 2 ♀, Faz. Ric. Franco, 15.iii.1961 (J & Bechyné) ( MPEG), 1 ♀, Miranda, 17.i.1941 (F. Lane), 1 ♀, 12°50’S 51°47’W, 26.ii.1968, 1 ♀, 05.iii.1968 (Richards, O.W) (UFRJ-MN), Xingu, 1 ♀, ii.1953, 1 ♀, 7.x.1968 (M. Alvarenga), 1 ♀, Cáceres, 20.xii.1984 (C. Elias) ( UFPR); Minas Gerais, 6 ♂, 2 ♀, Belo Horizonte, Monte, viii.1942 (UFRJ-MN), 1 ♀, Patos de Minas, 25.xi.1965 (C. Elias), 1 ♀, Passos, 5.xii.1963 (C. Elias), 1 ♀, Uberaba, 13.viii.1965 (C. Elias), 3♀ São Gotardo, 11.vi.1965 (C. Elias) ( UFPR); Paraíba, Alagoinha, 4 ♀, 02.vi.1941, 1 ♀, vii.1941 (Sauer), 1 ♀, Santa Luzia, viii.1956 (Cincinato) (UFRJ-MN); Piauí, 1 ♀, 5km E. Oeiras, Faz. Talhada, 13–17.xi. 1991 (S.T.P. Amarante) ( MZUSP), 1 ♀, Dom Expedito Lopes, Manaíra, 14.xi.2009 (Soares, A.M.L. & Brito, M.E.A.); 1 ♀, 16.xi.2009 (Soares, A.M.L.) ( MPEG); Rio de Janeiro, 1 ♀, Macaé, 22.ix.1989 (A.D. Grativol) ( UFPR), 1 ♀, Rio de Janeiro, Gávea, 20.xii.1911 (W. Y. Gud) (UFRJ-MN); Rio Grande do Norte, 5 ♀, Natal, iii.1952 (Alvarenga) (UFRJ-MN); Santa Catarina, 3 ♀, Itapema, 07.i.1976 (Luiz Pereira) ( UFPR); São Paulo, Rio Claro, 5 ♀, 26.x.1982, 3 ♀, 29.xii.1969 (Machado, V.L.L.) ( UNESP), 1 ♀, Rio Claro, 10.vii.1988 ( O. Silveira), 3 ♀, Campinas, 12.vii.1964 (Hebling, N.J.) ( UNESP), 2 ♀, 22.xii.1986 – 05.i.1987 (Alexandre Ruszczyk) ( UFPR), 1 ♀, São Carlos, Faz. Canchim, 28.viii.1989 (M.T. Tavares) ( MZUSP), 1 ♀, Sorocaba, 112 (UFRJ-MN).

Distribution. Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil: AC, BA, CE, DF, ES, GO, MA, MG, MT, *PB, PE, PI, RJ, RN, RR, SC, SP.

Remarks. In this paper, Protopolybia exigua refers only to the specific concept proposed by de Saussure (1854). The species is widely distributed, occurring from Guatemala to Paraguay.

Figures

FIGURES 69 – 82. 69, 76. Protopolybia exigua; 70, 77. P. diligens; 71, 78. P. collombiana sp. nov.; 72, 79. P. clypeata sp. nov.; 73, 80. P. similis sp. nov.; 74, 81. P. holoxantha; 75, 82. P. scutellaris. 69 – 75. Parameres of male genitalia (Apa, apical angle). 76 – 82. Volsella of male genitalia in lateral view (digitus highlighted in gray). Scale 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 83 – 93. 83. Protopolybia exigua; 84. P. diligens; 85. P. collombiana sp. nov.; 86. P. clypeata sp. nov.; 87. P. similis sp. nov.; 88. P. holoxantha; 89 P. scutellaris; 90. P. bituberculata; 91. P. sedula; 92. P. bella; 93. P. nitida. Aedeagus in lateral and dorsal views. Scale 0, 2 mm. Par, preapical region.