Mischocyttarus latior ( Fox, 1898 )

Silveira, Orlando Tobias, 2006, Revision of the subgenus Kappa de Saussure of Mischocyttarus de Saussure (Hym.; Vespidae, Polistinae, Mischocyttarini), Zootaxa 1321 (1), pp. 1-108 : 35-37

Mischocyttarus latior ( Fox, 1898)

( Figs. 9–10, 12, 14, 19 )

Polybia latior Fox, 1898: 451 ; von Ihering, 1904: 196.

Mischocyttarus latior: Richards, 1945: 344 (in part); Zikán, 1949: 213; Richards, 1978: 294; Carpenter and Vecht, 1991: 219.

LECTOTYPE: ♀ Brazil, Mato Grosso, Chapada (dos Guimarães), “Oct.” (1874–1886) (H. Smith) ( CMNH), designated by Carpenter and Vecht (1991), examined.

FEMALE. Length of fore wing 10–12 mm; head transverse as seen from above ( Fig. 12 ), MWH/DLH 2.3, in frontal view not very low, FHH/intOW 0.95; clypeus much wider than high ( Fig. 9 ), H/WClp 0.85, median angle considerably prominent, apex narrowly rounded; malar space a little longer than usual, a little more than 1/3 of an antennal socket’s height; tentorial pit distinctly closer to antennal socket than to eye; mandible anterior surface without a prominent border; antennal scape very short and wide, L/Wesc 2.1; occeli widely separated, POL about 2.4 times larger than one diameter, POL/ OOL larger than 2/3; posterior profile of the head as seen from above distinctly concave, occiput completely rounded, unmargined; foraminal area shaped ventrally as a shelf; hypostomal lamella narrow; pronotum with lateral fovea; central part of the anterior margin of pronotum with the lamella narrow and little reflexed, region just behind the lamella produced into an incipient secondary margin, low and not projecting over the lamella; humeral angle not prominent, pronotal carina rather low, slightly curved backwards at the extremities, total width of carina nearly equal to that of mesoscutum, sides of the pronotum as seen from above straight and moderately converging; mesoscutum typically longer than wide, L/WMsc 1.1, but sometimes shorter in smaller specimens; fore wing considerably long, LDis/HMpl 2.3, pterostigma about 3 times longer than wide; inner claw of hind tarsus with the apex distinctly sharp ( Fig. 14 ); propodeum with the median furrow variably deep, triangular in shape, anterior area of propodeum adjacent to metanotum protuberant, nearly horizontal, propodeal valve wide, triangular; first segment of metasoma rather short, LSI/HMpl 1.0, apical part moderately and gradually expanded ( Fig. 19 ), in dorsal view with sides nearly straight, apex about 2.5 times wider than the basal petiole, spiracles usually not prominent, basal petiole short, flattened ventrally, limit between sternum and tergum proximally marked by a prominent shining edge.

Sculpture: disk of clypeus mostly with small punctures, but larger ones relatively frequent and quite conspicuous, interstices shining, area close to the ventral margin reticulate, shining, with large punctures; mesopleuron with fine to medium sized punctures, their diameter and density increasing upwards, also with large sparse punctures.

Vestiture: body covered by appressed pale silvery pilosity; eyes with hairs very short or indistinct.

Color: black; narrow area adjacent to ventral margin of clypeus (sometimes) dark red brown; extremity of lateral lobe of clypeus, teeth of mandible, shining brownish red; ventral surface of antennal flagellum, brown to yellowish brown at the apex; lower part of inner orbit narrowly, a short mark on the pronotum where the carina is absent (sometimes), narrow band on the anterior margin of metanotum, valves of propodeum, small paired spots on propodeum (sometimes), one streak on mid coxa (sometimes absent), two streaks on hind coxa, inner distal margin of trochanters, apical spots on femora, yellow; articular processes on meso and metapleuron (sometimes yellow), spot on basal upper aspect of femora, elongated spots on anterior surface of tibiae, apex of tibiae, light yellowish brown; hind tibial spurs, dorsum of the fifth segment of fore tarsus, pale yellow; wings with membrane darkened on proximal half, specially near the costal margin, veins dark brown to black.

MALE. Head in frontal view not very wide, FHH/intOW 0.9; clypeus much wider than high, H/WClp 0.8, ventral angle obtuse, apex narrowly rounded; tentorial pit closer to the eye than to antennal socket; antenna with the scape very short and wide, L/Wesc 2.0, ventral surface of most antennomeres with distinct shining tyloids, those on 3 and 4 frequently fragmented, antennomere 3 about 3 times longer than wide, apex of the antenna short ( Fig. 10 ), antennomeres 11–13 subcylindrical, not flattened below, 12 as seen from above 1.5 times longer than wide, 13 elongated, narrow, with rounded apex, 2.5 to 3.1 times longer than wide; gena very narrow, about 1/3 as wide as the ventral lobe of the eye in lateral view; anterior face of fore coxa looking flattened; clypeus with dense fine punctation, and numerous more sparse large sized punctures; frons with long hairs, more numerous and longer than in female.

Color: similar to female, apex of the antenna yellow on inner side.

NEST. Richards (1978) describes a nest collected in Mato Grosso, Brazil, in a hollow tree. The comb was oval very elongated in shape, the two principal axes measuring 10.5 and 3.5 cm, with a dark brown color. It also had a very short and wide, central peduncle. However, the shape of the comb is actually variable. One examined nest from São Paulo presented a more circular form, measuring approximately 6 X 5 cm .

Remarks

The species is rather isolated and easily identifiable, occurring typically in the region of the Cerrado biome in Brazil. One specimen cited by Richards (1945, 1978) from Sara, Bolivia (MCZ), could not be examined.

Distribution SOUTH AMERICA: Brazil (GO, MT, MG, SP), Bolivia.

Examined material

BRAZIL: Goiás, 3♀ Alvorada do Norte, Faz. Mattos , 9/vii/1991 (Amarante & Martins) ( MZSP) , 1♀ 24km E Formoso , 16/v/1956 (F. Truxal) ( UCDC) ; Mato Grosso, 1♀ (PARALECTOTYPE) Chapada (dos Guimarães) (no date; 1874–1886) (H. Smith) ( CMNH) , 1♀ 2♂ “ Base Camp ” 12º 50' S 51º 47' O, 26/viii/1968 (O. W. Richards) ( MNRJ) ; Minas Gerais, 2♀ Florestal , 21/iii/1993 (G.A. R. Melo) ( UFPR) , 1♀ Lassance , 9–19/xi/1919 (Cornell Univ. Exped.) ; São Paulo, 10♀ 5♂ Ribeirão Preto , 13/iv/1969 ( R. Jeanne) ( AMNH) , 2♀ Rio Claro , UNESP, 16/ix/98 (E.D. Filho) ( MPEG) .

Figures

FIGURES 8–25. M. laurae sp. n.: 8, 11, female head frontal and dorsal, 16, first metasomal tergum (T1); M. latior: 9, 12, female head frontal and dorsal, 10, male antenna, 14, hind 5th. tarsomere, 19, T1; M. immarginatus: 13, male antenna, 15, hind 5th. tarsomere, 17, T1; M. mirus sp. n.: 18, T1; M. paris sp. n.: 20, mesosoma part dorsal, 21, male antenna, 22, T1, 24, propodeal large punctures; M. tapuya: 23, T1, 25, propodeal large punctures.