Mischocyttarus metathoracicus (de Saussure, 1854)

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 : 71-74

Mischocyttarus metathoracicus (de Saussure, 1854)

( Figs. 66–68, 77, 79 )

Polybia metathoracica de Saussure, 1854: 198 ; Fox, 1898: 449 (in part).

Megacanthopus metathoracicus: Ducke, 1904: 362 ; 1905b: 689; 1907b: 189.

Mischocyttarus metathoracicus: Ducke, 1918: 353 (in part); Richards, 1945: 346, figs. 38, 39, 40; Zikán, 1949: 203, fig. 138; Richards, 1978: 307; Carpenter and Vecht, 1991: 216 (in part); Carpenter, 1999: 21.

M. metathoracicus var. picturatus: Richards, 1978: 307 (misidentification, incorrect synonymy).

M. granadaensis Zikán, 1949: 202 , figs. 137, 280; Richards, 1978: 305. Lectotype: ♀ Colômbia,

Nova Granada (MZSP, 17.095), designated by Richards (1978), examined, N. syn.

M. rectus Richards, 1978: 306 . Holotype: ♀ Ost Bolivien, 1/iii/07 (Steinbach) (BMNH), examined, N. syn.

LECTOTYPE: ♀ “Guyane” ( French Guyana), 1839 (Leprieur) ( MNHN), designated by Richards (1978), examined.

FEMALE. Length of fore wing 9–11 mm; MWH/DLH 2.3, head in frontal view not very low, FHH/intOW 0.95; clypeus not so much wider than high, H/WClp 0.87, median angle well projecting below, apex wide and gently truncate; malar space narrow, not more than 1/3 of the height of an antennal socket; tentorial pit as close to the eye as to antennal socket; mandible anterior surface without a prominent border; antennal scape short and wide, L/Wesc 2.3; occeli not very widely separated, POL at most equal to two diameters, POL/OOL about 2/3; occiput with margin distinct but not very salient at the center, posterior profile of the head as seen from above distinctly concave; foraminal area shaped ventrally as a shelf; hypostomal lamella narrow; pronotum with lateral fovea, pronotal anterior margin medially with lamella narrow and moderately reflexed, region just behind not quite continuous, a little raised but not forming a definite secondary margin; humeral region not very salient, not forming lateral lobe, carina with lamella evenly elevated at each side of the reduced central part, abruptly extinct at center ( Fig. 79 ), straight as seen from above, not reflexed at sides, sides of pronotum considerably converging ( Fig. 68 ), total width of carina at most equal to that of mesoscutum, the latter being as long or longer than wide, L/WMsc reaching 1.1; fore wing short, LDis/HMpl 2.04, pterostigma a little more than 3 times longer than wide; metanotum very convex; inner claw of hind tarsus with apex round; propodeum highly inflated anteriorly ( Fig. 66 ), median furrow short and rather shallow, triangular, valve not very wide, triangular, limit between the propodeum and lower metapleuron marked by a shining sulcus; first segment of metasoma only moderately elongated ( Fig. 77 ), LSI/HMpl 1.1, apex variably wide, up to 2.3 times wider than the base, spiracles prominent or not, sternum flattened, limit between sternum and tergum proximally marked by a prominent shining edge.

Sculpture: disk of clypeus with dense small punctures, and with more sparse less conspicuous larger ones, interstices shining, area close to the ventral margin reticulate and shining with a few large punctures; upper part of interantennal area and frons with medium sized punctures, dense but rarely coalescent, not comb­like, dull; mesopleuron with moderately dense small to medium sized punctures, and with more sparse larger ones.

Vestiture: body covered by appressed silvery pubescence, particularly dense and shining on the clypeus and frons; eyes with few very short inconspicuous hairs.

Color: black; antenna above, a narrow dorsal streak on gena (sometimes absent), tegula, lower metapleuron, legs, dark brown; distal margin of clypeus, mandibular teeth, spot on inner face of fore tibia, reddish brown; apex of antenna below, articular processes on meso and metapleuron, spot on the base of mid and hind femora (sometimes yellow), light yellowish brown; inner orbit to lower border of ocular sinus, carina (sometimes) and posterior margin of pronotum, scutellum and axilla, metanotum, large subquadrangular spot on dorsum of propodeum, valves, one streak on mid coxa, two streaks on hind coxa, inner distal margin of trochanters, apex of femora, apex of tibiae, distal band on metasomal terga 1 and 2 (sometimes also 3 and 4), and on sterna 2 and 3, dorsum of fifth segment of fore tarsus, sometimes also on fifth segment of mid tarsus, yellow; larger hind tibial spur, pale yellow or light yellowish brown; wings hyaline, veins light brown.

Variation: some specimens show additional yellow areas as a spot on the upper mesepisternal plate, a ventral spot on the mesopleuron, and a distal spot on the mid coxa. On the other hand, some reduction of yellow areas may be observed on the propodeum, and rarely on the scutellum.

MALE. Head in frontal view relatively less low and wide, FHH/intOW 0.92; clypeus essentially flat, not so distinctly wider than high, H/WClp 0.88, median angle relatively produced, apex rounded; tentorial pit closer to the eye than to antennal socket; antennal scape short and wide, L/Wesc 2.25, ventral surface of antennomeres with distinct tyloids, third antennomere about 3.2 times longer than wide, apex of antenna very elongated ( Fig. 67 ), apical antennomeres cylindrical, not flattened below, antennomere 12 a little more than 2 times longer than wide, 13 slender, slightly curve, with apex blunt, a little more than 4 times longer than wide, about 1.4 times longer than 12; anterior face of fore coxa flattened; clypeus with shallow indistinct fine punctation, without conspicuous larger punctures; clypeus and supra­clypeal plate covered by dense decumbent pubescence with intense silvery shine; on frons with longer fine hairs equally silvery.

Color: similar to female.

NEST. Ducke (1907 b) described one nest collected in Iquitos, Peru, with a central peduncle and having the comb rather elongated, with a trend of growing in one main direction. A differently shaped nest with circular comb and short eccentric peduncle was found by Richards (1978) in Brazil, Mato Grosso. A third nest from Brazil, Bujarú (MPE G) corresponds to Ducke’s description, the comb having 18 cells arranged along three rows, fastened by a short central peduncle to the leaf of a palm. While this nest is only 2.5 cm along its main axis, the growth trend observed by Ducke is quite evident.

Remarks

The characters mentioned by Zikán (1949) and Richards (1978) or their combination are not sufficient to diagnose M. granadaensis Zikán and M. rectus Richards with respect to each other and to M. metathoracicus (de Saussure) . Details of form and color described by these authors vary among specimens in such a way that no group patterns are observable corresponding to the names.

Distribution

SOUTH AMERICA: Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, French Guyana, Brazil (AM, PA, MT), Peru and Bolivia.

Examined material

BOLIVIA: Cochabamba, 1♂ (PARATYPE of M. rectus ), Chapare, oberer Rio Chipiriri , 400m, 31/x/1953 (W. Forster) ; Santa Cruz, 1♀ Sta. Cruz, Jardin Botanico , 31/ vii/1976 (Porter & Calmbacher) ( IMLA) ; BRAZIL: Amapá, 2♀ Laranjal do Jari, Resex Cajari , 22/v/2001 (J. Chaves) ( IEPA) ; Amazonas , 1♀ Barcelos , 16/vi/1905 (A. Ducke) ( MPEG) , 3♀ Curicuriari, S. Jorge (0013/6650), 26/vi/1999 (G.A. R. Melo) ( UFPR) , 2♀ 1♂ Manaus, Reserva Ducke , 14/viii/1969 (A. Faustino) , 1♀ Manaus, Reserva Ducke , 04/vi/ 1976 (Pinger) , 1♂ Manaus, Reserva Ducke , 04/vi/1976 (anonymous) ( INPA) ; Mato Grosso, 1♀ Chapada (dos Guimarães), April (1874–1886) (H. Smith) ( CMNH) ; Pará , 1♀ Santarém (no date; 1874–1886) (H. Smith) ( CMNH) , 1♀ Belém , vii/1968 (anonymous) , 1♀ Pará (no specific locality), ix/1939 (A. Moss) , 1♀ Bujarú , 12/i/1978 (W. França) ( BMNH) , 3♀ and nest, Bujarú , 6/x/1977 (P. Waldir) , 1♀ Bujarú , 5/x/1977 (P. Waldir) , 1♀ I. do Marajó , P. de Pedras, 2/iii/1979 (P. Tadeu) , 2♀ 3♂ Serra Norte, Serraria , 20/ix/1985 (F. Torres) , 2♀ Serra Norte, Serraria , 20/vi/1986 (F. Torres) , 1♀ Serra Norte, Área do Igarapé Bahia, 14/ix/1985 (M. Zanuto) , 1♀ Serra Norte, 3 Alfa , 26/vi/1985 ( R. Neto) , 2♀ Bragança , 6/vii/1911 (A. Ducke) , 1♀ Pará (no specific locality), 23/vi/1902 (A. Ducke) , 3♀ Melgaço, Caxiuanã , ECFPn, 26/iii/1998 (Silveira & Pena) ( MPEG) ; COLOMBIA: 1♀ (17.093) (PARALECTOTYPE of M. granadaensis ), Nova Granada (no date) (anonymous) ( IOC) ; PERU: Loreto, 1♀ Iquitos (no date) (H. Bassler) , 1♀ Lower Rio Tapiche , 14/xi/23 (H. Bassler) ( AMNH) , 1♀ Iquitos , 5/viii/1906 (A. Ducke) ( MPEG) .

Figures

FIGURES 66–80. M. metathoracicus: 66, mesosoma lateral, 67, male antenna, 68, mesosoma part dorsal, 77, T1, 79, pronotum frontal; M. flavoscutellatus: 69, mesosoma lateral, 72, T1; M. efferus sp. n.: 70, male antenna, 71, mesosoma part dorsal, 76, T1, 78, pronotum frontal; M. acreanus sp. n.: 73, T1, 75, mesosoma part dorsal; M. occiduus sp. n.: 74, T1, 80, mesosoma part dorsal.