Protopolybia amarella Bequaert, 1944

(Figs. 4, 5, 6, 22, 26)

Protopolybia amarella Bequaert, 1944a: 101, 113. (holotype: ♀, Guyana, Source of R. Essequibo (MCZ, Cambridge), examined); 1944b: 266, 267; Richards 1978: 139, 149; Sarmiento 1994: 359; Rasmussen & Asenjo 2009: 49. Protopolybia mellea Ducke: Overal 1978: 11 (nomen nudum).

Diagnosis. Pronotal carina blunt, non-lamellate, distinctly extending downwards at side, humerus normal, pronotal carina blunt; pronotal fovea distinct and deep, metanotal lobe with apex pointed (Fig. 4); wing-like processes on petiole of T1 reduced and not very sharp; species yellow, with light ferruginous and very few black markings, commonly on the mesoscutum (Fig. 6).

Redescription. FEMALE. Length of fore wing 4.87 mm; clypeus relatively wide, approximately as long as wide (HClp=0.75; MxWClp=0.88;TeW= 0.59; MiWClp= 0.78 mm), with ventral margin pointed; 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 0.8 × distance between eyes at vertex; occipital carina distinct, fading very close to insertion of mandible; humerus normal, pronotal carina blunt, non-lamellate, distinctly extending downwards at side; pronotal fovea distinct, pronotal prominence extending above and close to pronotal carina, nearly collinear with fovea; length of mesoscutum 1.02 × its width; mesepisternal groove absent; scutellum with short but well-marked median line; metanotum triangular, length of median axis approximately 0.82 × width of central disk, metanotal lobe with apex pointed; propodeum with wide and shallow cavity; T1 with petiole very short, wing-like processes reduced and not very sharp, distal margin wider and nearly straight, cuplike; T1 notably narrower than T2.

Front, mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum with moderate micropuntation and shallow mesopunctation (Fig. 26); ventral region of mesopleuron with distinct punctures; clypeus with short golden bristles, except ventral margin, which has elongated bristles; eyes with minute and sparse bristles; body almost completely covered by short bristles; propodeum with long and sparse bristles.

Coloration: species entirely yellow, except on mesoscutum which has small and sparse black marks (Fig. 5); wings hyaline, venation testaceous.

Material examined. BRAZIL: Acre, 1♀, Rio Branco, Reserva Catuaba, 12.viii.1993 (M.L. Oliveira) (MZUSP) , 1♀, Cruzeiro do Sul, 23.ii.1968 (without collector) (BMNH); Pará , 1♀, Gorotire, 51W8S, 18.viii.1978 (D.A. Posey); 1♀, Serra Norte, Est. Fofoca, 23.viii.1984 (M.F. Torres); 1♀, Est. Manganês, 19–22.viii.1984 (MPEG); Amazonas, 1♀, Ipixuna, vi.2011 (A. Somavilla) (INPA); Rondônia, 1♀, V. Rondonia, Aeroporto, 18.vi.1978 (without collector) (BMNH); BRITISH GUIANA: 1♀, New River, Boundary Mark 12.v ..1938 (C.A. Hundson); COLOMBIA : 1♀, Putumayo, Mocoa, 600m, 6.xi.1974 (M. Cooper), 1♀, 31.v. –7.vi.1976 (BMNH); PERU: Pachitea, 1♀, 9239 (without date and collector) (MPEG), 1♀, Tingo Maria, 1.viii.1971 (BMNH).

Distribution. Brazil: Acre, * Amazonas, * Pará; Bolivia: Pando; Colombia: Amazonas; Guyana, Peru: Huánuco, Loreto, R. Pachitea.

FIGURES 7–12. 7, 8, 9. Protopolybia sedula; 10, 11, 12. Protopolybia weyrauchi, Paratype.