Mischocyttarus latissimus 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 : 56-57

Mischocyttarus latissimus Richards, 1978

(Fig. 54)

Mischocyttarus latissimus Richards, 1978: 294 ; Sarmiento, 1994: 360.

HOLOTYPE: ♀ Peru, Loreto, Iquitos, 4/i/24 (H. Bassler) ( AMNH), examined.

FEMALE. Just like the preceding species in most aspects. Length of fore wing 8–9 mm; MWH/DLH 2.4, FHH/intOW 0.92; clypeus much wider than high, H/WClp 0.84, median angle little projecting below, apex rounded; occiput with margin evanescent, with vestiges of a compression line at the center and laterally, or completely absent; L/WMsc 0.95; fore wing very short, LDis/HMpl 1.86, pterostigma about 3 times longer than wide; first segment of metasoma very short, LSI/HMpl 0.89, as seen from above with sides diverging from the base, apex not very wide, about 2.25 times wider than the base, segment in lateral view with the upper profile forming a convex arch from the base.

Vestiture: eye with relatively sparse, short but conspicuous hairs.

Color: black; legs, dark brown; mandible almost black, with little yellow or reddish suffusion; clypeus, inner orbits (weakly and less extensively tinged), interantennal area not surpassing above the level of the antennal sockets, yellow or orange yellow; antennal scape below and laterally, spot on inner face of fore tibia, orange yellow; antennal flagellum below, light brown to orange at the apex; narrow dorsal genal streak, carina and posterior margin of pronotum, posterior spot on tegula, small to medium spot on mesepisternal plate, scutellar crest, most of metanotum anteriorly, rarely small and irregular propodeal spots, valvular region, inner distal margin of trochanters, apex of femora, apex of fore and mid tibiae (sometimes also hind tibia), variable distal bands on metasomal terga 1–5, more definite distal band on metasomal sternum 2, dorsum of the fifth segment of fore tarsus, yellow; hind tibial spurs, light brown; wings hyaline with dark brown veins.

Variation. Color of the clypeus is rather variable, either yellow or orange. Male specimens from Peru have the inner orbits more strongly and extensively painted of yellow, more like the pattern found in M. adolphi .

MALE. Head in frontal view low and wide, FHH/intOW 0.88; clypeus very wide, H/ WClp 0.80, median angle little produced below, but not completely obtuse; tentorial pit closer to the eye than to antennal socket; antennal scape short and wide, L/Wesc 2.2, ventral surface of antennomeres with distinct shining tyloids, but that on 3 narrower and developed only on the distal half, this antennomere 3 times longer than wide, apex of the antenna elongated and spirally rolled (Fig. 54), none of the apical antennomeres noticeably flattened below, antennomere 11 about 1.5 times longer than wide, 12 about 1.92 times longer than wide, 13 elongated about 3.43 times longer than wide, 1.26 times longer than 12; anterior face of fore coxa not noticeably flattened; clypeus with moderately dense shallow fine punctation, with sparse medium sized similarly inconspicuous punctures, clypeal pubescence not very distinct.

Color: similar to female, but the mandible with a sharply defined oblique yellow spot.

NEST. Richards (unpublished manuscript) describes one nest collected by M. Cooper in Colombia, Amazonas, La Chorrera. The comb was formed by 39 cells, each with its own peduncle fastened to the mid rib of a Tococa leaf, the plant being associated to ants. Other nests mentioned in Richards’ manuscript have been collected by M. Cooper ( Colombia and Bolivia) and by D. Windsor ( Peru), with the same shape and always on plants of the family Melastomataceae .

Remarks

As with M. adolphi, Richards (1978) based his concept of M. latissimus on scanty material, in this case only the holotype from Peru. Furthermore, because of different depositories, he probably did not have the two species types simultaneously to make direct comparison. However, the similarity between the two species is striking, and it is intriguing that even after seeing additional material of M. latissimus Richards (unpublished manuscript) could not perceive it.

Distribution SOUTH AMERICA: Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil (AM).

Examined material

BOLIVIA: Pando, Porvenir , 30km S Cobija, 250m, 2♀ 5–10/vii/1979 (M. Cooper), 2♀ 15–20/vii/1979 (M. Cooper) ; Beni, 1♀ Rurrenabaque , 2/xi/1981 (M. Cooper) ( BMNH) ; BRASIL: Amazonas, 1♀ Tefé , 26/vi/1906 (A. Ducke) ( MPEG) ; COLOMBIA: Amazonas, Letícia , 1♀ 14/viii/1974 (M. Cooper), 1♀ 18/viii/1974 (M. Cooper) ( BMNH) ;

PERU: Loreto, 1♀ Rio Tapiche , 14/xi/23 (H. Bassler) ( AMNH) , 2♂ Rio Nanay , 35km SE Iquitos, 2/xi/1978 (D. Windsor) ( BMNH) .