Protopolybia rubrithorax Bequaert, 1944

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 : 164-166

Protopolybia rubrithorax Bequaert, 1944

( Figs 54, 56, 58 )

Protopolybia rubrithorax Weyrauch 1943: 73 , nom. nudum

Protopolybia minutissima var. rubrithorax Bequaert 1944a: 110 (holotype: ♀, Peru, Tingo Maria, Rio Huallaga, 700 m (MCZ, Boston); (examined female specimens from the type locality).

Protopolybia rubrithorax: Richards 1978: 138 , 142.

Protopolybia rubrithoxar: Carpenter & Wenzel 1989: 179 .

Diagnosis. Length of fore wing 4.5 mm; pronotum and mesoscutum reddish; ventral margin of clypeus broadly curved ( Fig. 54 ); pronotal carina obtuse, distinctly produced backwards ( Fig. 56 ); color predominantly dark brown ( Fig. 58 ).

Redescription. FEMALE. Length of fore wing 4.5 mm; clypeus relatively wide (HClp=1.06; MxWClp=1.11; TeW=0.79; MiWClp = 0.53 mm), ventral margin broadly curved ( Fig. 54 ); tentorial pit closer to antennal socket than to eye margin; interantennal area narrow, approximately equal to diameter of antennal socket; mandibles relatively elongated, with length 0.70 × distance between eyes on vertex; antennal scape slightly curved; occipital carina distinct, extending for three forth of height of gena; pronotal carina obtuse, distinctly produced backwards ( Fig. 56 ); pronotal fovea distinct, preceded by linear prominence; mesoscutum slightly wider than long; mesepisternal groove absent; scrobal groove abbreviated; scutellum with median line; metanotum moderately produced, with median axis approximately equal to width of central disk; metanotal lobe elongated with apex slightly pointed; propodeum gently convex around narrow median groove; T1 petiolate, its length 1.5 × width at apex; T1 notably narrower than T2.

Frons and mesoscutum finely reticulated; scutellum and metanotum with fine and sparse punctures; mesopleuron and metasomal segments impunctate; eyes glabrous; body almost completely with short bristles, with elongated bristles on ventral margin of clypeus, propodeum, metasomal petiole and last metasomal segment.

Dark brown, with few yellow spots; antenna partially brown; mandibles yellow; clypeus with yellow V-shaped mark; mark on inner and outer orbit not extending to vertex and occiput; pronotum and mesoscutum reddish ( Fig. 56 and 58 ); distal band on T1, two basal spots and distal band on T2; T4–T6 brown; legs brown; wings hyaline, venation brown.

Material examined. PERU: Huánuco, Tingo Maria, 2 ♀, 670 m (Weyrauch) ( BMNH).

Distribution. Peru: Huánuco.

Figures

FIGURES 53 – 58. 53, 55, 57. Protopolybia holoxantha; 54, 56, 58. P. rubrithorax. Prc, pronotal carina.