Mischocyttarus zikaninus Richards, 1978

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 : 37-39

Mischocyttarus zikaninus Richards, 1978

(Figs. 32,33)

M. pseudomimeticus: Ducke, 1918: 350 (in part; misidentification); Zikán, 1949: 191, figs. 128, 278, 319 (misidentification).

M. zikaninus Richards, 1978: 295 .

HOLOTYPE: ♀ Brazil, Pará , Óbidos, 30/v/1911 (A. Ducke) ( MZSP), examined.

FEMALE. Length of fore wing 13–14 mm; MWH/DLH a little more than 2.3, head in frontal view not very low, FHH/intOW 0.94; shape of clypeus rather variable, H/WClp varying between 0.83 and 0.91, median angle strongly projecting downwards, apex widely truncate, lateral indentations unusually very strongly produced, lateral margin narrowly separated from eye; malar space exceptionally ample, much 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 short and wide, L/Wesc 2.30, flagellum with a more slender appearance, no antennomere looking exceedingly transversal; occeli widely separated, POL equal to two diameters, POL/OOL about 2/3; occiput with margin very distinct, laterally reaching halfway of head’s height; foraminal area shaped ventrally as a shelf; hypostomal lamella narrow; mesosoma considerably elongated; pronotum with lateral fovea, central part of anterior margin of pronotum with the lamella narrow and reflexed, region just behind the lamella not produced into secondary margin; humeral angle produced into a large lateral lobe, pronotal carina not very elevated but exceptionally reflexed at extremities, total width of carina distinctly larger than that of mesocutum, sides of pronotum not strongly converging; mesoscutum considerably longer than wide, L/WMsc 1.18; fore wing moderately elongated, LDis/ HMpl 2.26, pterostigma about 3.6 times longer than wide; inner claw of hind tarsus with the apex wide, somewhat rounded; propodeum very inflated and prolonged backwards, with the median furrow deep, triangular, anterior part of propodeum adjacent to metanotum protuberant, nearly horizontal, propodeal valve moderately wide, as a high triangle; first segment of metasoma short, LSI/HMpl 1.0, apical part exceptionally wide ( Fig. 33 ), as seen from above with sides diverging from the base or from a more posterior position, there being a more definite petiole, apex about 2.86 times wider than the base, spiracles not or little prominent, sternum proximally flattened, limit with the tergum marked by a not very prominent shining edge.

Sculpture: disk of clypeus with conspicuous moderately dense medium sized punctures, and with more sparse larger ones, area close to the ventral margin reticulate, shining, with a few large punctures; mesopleuron with moderately dense medium sized punctures, and with more sparse larger ones, the two size classes quite distinct.

Vestiture: eyes without distinct hairs.

Color: black to dark brown in some areas; apex of antenna below, light yellowish brown; posterior margin of the pronotum, two long stripes on mesoscutum fused posteriorly, tegula, large symmetric ventral spots on mesopleura, joining each other medially, scutellum and upper part of axilla, metanotum, a pair of large elongated spots on propodeum, valves, articular processes on meso and metapleuron, distal margin of trochanters, apex of femora, apex of fore tibia, dorsum of the fifth segment of fore tarsus, posterior margin of terga and sterna 1–5, yellow; hind tibial spurs, pale yellow, wings hyaline, veins brown.

MALE. Smaller than female, length of fore wing 11 mm; head in frontal view low and wide, FHH/intOW 0.88; clypeus moderately convex, very wide, H/WClp 0.80, median angle scarcely produced downwards, obtuse, apex narrowly rounded; tentorial pit closer to the eye than to antennal socket; internatennal area strongly prominent; antenna with the scape very short and wide, L/Wesc 2.03, tyloids only distinct on antennomeres 7–13, even so not very shining, antennomere 3 about 3 times longer than wide, apex of the antenna moderately elongated ( Fig. 32 ), apical antennomeres subcylindrical, not flattened below, antennomere 12 about 1.7 times longer than wide, 13 about 4.25 times longer than wide, with well acuminate apex, about 1.7 times longer than 12; anterior face of fore coxa distinctly flattened; clypeus with moderately dense small punctures, and with more sparse larger ones.

Color: similar to female.

NEST: unknown.

Remarks

Ducke (1918) and Zikán (1949) confounded this species with M. pseudomimeticus (Schulz) . Richards (1978) recognized it as a distinct species. The male is here described

for the first time, and a female from “ Amazonas, Rio Tarumã Mirim” (INPA) is the only known specimen that is not part of the original series collected by Ducke.

Distribution SOUTH AMERICA: Brazil (AM, PA).

Examined material

BRAZIL: Amazonas, 1♂ R . Tarumã Mirim , “2 Km from Rio Negro”, 29/vii/1979 (Adis, Erwin, Montgomery et al.) ( INPA) ; Pará, 1♀ 1♂ Óbidos, 30/v/1911 (A. Ducke) ( MPEG) .

Figures

FIGURES 26–42. M. tolensis: 26, mesosoma part dorsal, 28, female mandible, 29, male antenna, 30, T1; M. magdalenensis sp. n.: 27, mesosoma part dorsal, 31, T1; M. zikaninus: 32, male antenna, 33, T1; M. pseudomimeticus: 34, T1; M. mocsaryi: 35, mesosoma part dorsal, 36, male head, 37, male antenna; M. fitzgeraldi: 38, T1; M. villarricanus: 39, T1, 42, male antenna; M. funerulus: 40, T1, 41, male antenna.