Mischocyttarus frontalis ( 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 : 61-63

Mischocyttarus frontalis ( Fox, 1898)

(Figs. 50, 55, 64).

Polybia frontalis Fox, 1898: 455 .

Mischocyttarus frontalis: Ducke, 1918: 352 (in part); Richards, 1945: 344, fig. 22 (in part, not the variety); 1978: 296; 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 8–10 mm; MWH/DLH up to 2.4, FHH/intOW 0.92; clypeus much wider than high, H/WClp 0.80, median angle little projecting below, apex rather wide and round or slightly truncate; malar space just a little more than 1/3 of the height of an antennal socket; mandible anterior surface without a prominent border; antennal scape very short, L/Wesc 2.14; occeli widely separated, POL more than 2.3 diameters, POL/OOL almost reaching 1; occiput with margin distinct but not very high; foraminal area shaped ventrally as a shelf; hypostomal lamella narrow; pronotum very short and wide, with lateral fovea, pronotal anterior margin medially with the lamella wide and little reflexed, region just behind well raised into secondary margin that projects over the lamella, carina with lamella translucent, high at sides but not noticeably projecting laterally, not produced into prominent lateral lobe (Fig. 50), total width far larger than that of mesoscutum, the latter a little wider than long, L/WMsc 0.94; fore wing very short, LDis/HMpl 1.9, pterostigma about 3 times longer than wide; metanotum very oblique, little convex; inner claw of hind tarsus with the apex narrow; propodeum short and oblique, median furrow deep and long, reaching propodeal anterior margin, with sides nearly parallel, not triangular, valve small and triangular; first segment of metasoma very short, LSI/HMpl 0.92, with sides diverging more abruptly from a point just anterior to spiracle (Fig. 64), basal petiole defined as a short parallel sided sector, apex about 2.5 times wider than the base, in lateral view the dorsal profile of the segment ascends straight and gradually up to the spiracle, then assuming a very convex shape at the apex, spiracles rarely prominent, sternum flattened, limit between sternum and tergum proximally marked by a rather low shining edge, sometimes less apparent.

Sculpture: disk of clypeus with moderately dense medium sized punctures, and with more sparse larger ones, interstices shining, area close to the ventral margin reticulate and shining, with a few large punctures; upper interantennal area and frons dull with dense

medium sized punctures; mesopleuron with moderately dense medium sized punctures, and with more sparse larger ones.

Vestiture: eye with short not very distinct hairs.

Color: black; tegula, legs, dark brown; antenna below, brown becoming paler to the apex; clypeus and face to upper border of ocular sinus, most of antennal scape and mandible, posterior region of the head around mouth parts, small spot on lower lateral angle of pronotum, spot on inner face of fore tibia, vivid reddish orange; outer orbit, small spot on mandible (sometimes), carina and posterior margin of pronotum, small posterior spot on tegula (sometimes), spot on mesepisternal plate (often), band on metanotum, valvular region of propodeum, distal band on first metasomal tergum (variably interrupted, sometimes absent), one streak on mid coxa (often), one or two streaks on hind coxa (sometimes none), inner distal margin of trochanters, apex of femora, apex of fore and mid tibiae, narrow spot on dorsum of the fifth segment of fore tarsus, yellow; hind tibial spurs, brown; wings hyaline, veins dark brown.

MALE. Length of fore wing 7.5–8 mm; head in frontal view very low and wide, FHH/intOW 0.88, clypeus moderately convex, very wide, H/WClp 0.76, median angle little projecting below, apex narrowly rounded; tentorial pit closer to the eye than to antennal socket; interantennal area strongly prominent; antennal scape short and wide, L/ Wesc 2.11; ventral surface of antennomeres with distinct shining tyloids, third antennomere only about 2.63 times longer than wide, antennal apex moderately elongated (Fig. 55), with evident potential to become spirally rolled, antennomeres 11 – 13 distinctly flattened below, 12 about 1.6 times longer than wide, 13 more variable in shape, from 2.5 to 3 times longer than wide; anterior face of fore coxa slightly flattened; clypeus with conspicuous moderately dense fine punctation, and with less numerous rather inconspicuous medium sized punctures, interstices shining; clypeus and frons with decumbent silvery pubescence.

Color: similar to female, but with larger areas of frons and pronotum tinged with orange yellow; also more yellow on mandible and inner orbit; antennal apex whitish yellow.

NEST. One nest from Paraguay, Canindeyú, has a subcircular comb measuring 2.9 X

2.4 cm, with 50 cells, and a very short nearly central peduncle.

Remarks

Garcete­Barret (in lit.) in Paraguay observed one individual of M. frontalis trying to land on the nest of another species (probably of subgenus Phi ), being dismissed by resident wasps. The specimens referred below from the Brazilian state of Goiás (MZSP) are certainly the same cited by Ducke (1918) from the locality of Santa Rita de Antas.

Distribution SOUTH AMERICA: Brazil (GO, MT), Paraguay.

Examined material

BRAZIL: Goiás, 1♀ 1♂ (no date) (anonymous) ( MZSP, 17.983) ; Mato Grosso, 8♀ (PARALECTOTYPES) Chapada (dos Guimarães), Oct. (1874–1886) (H. Smith) ( CMNH) ; PARAGUAY: Canindeyú, 1♀ 2♂ Cerrito , 7/ix/1995 (B. Garcete­Barrett) ; San Pedro, 1♀ General Resquín, Naranjito , 31/xii/1994 (B. Garcete­Barrett) ( INBP) .