Protopolybia minutissima ( Spinola, 1851 )

Dos Santos Junior, José N. A., Silveira, Orlando T. & Carpenter, James M., 2015, Phylogeny of Protopolybia Ducke, 1905 and taxonomic revision of the Protopolybia exigua species-group (Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Polistinae), with description of four new species, Zootaxa 3956 (2), pp. 151-182 : 169

Protopolybia minutissima ( Spinola, 1851)

Polistes minutissima Spinola 1851: 62 , holotype: ♀, Brazil: Pará (depository unknown).

Polybia minutissima de Saussure 1854: 170, holotype: ♀, “L’Amerique Meridionale”, Quixos [ Ecuador] (Spinola Collection, Turin; MRSN); junior secondary homonym of Polistes minutissima Spinola.

Polybia laboriosa de Saussure 1854: 171, holotype: ♀, “Le Mexique ” (Spinola Collection, Turin; MRSN); synonymized by Carpenter (2012).

Polybia binominata Schulz 1906: 233 , replacement name for Polybia minutissima de Saussure.

Protopolybia rugulosa Ducke 1907: 166 , 167, lectotype: ♀ Brasil, Tefé, 06.ix.1904 (Ducke) (BMNH), designated by Richards (1978); examined); synonymized by Carpenter (2012).

Protopolybia minutissima: Ducke 1910: 476 (part).

Protopolybia laboriosa: Ducke 1910: 470 , 476.

Protopolybia minutissima: Bequaert 1944a: 106 (typical form only).

Protopolybia minutissima: Richards & Richards 1951: 19 .

Protopolybia rugulosa: Richards 1978: 137 , 143.

Protopolybia minutissima: Carpenter 2012: 124 .

Diagnosis. Length of fore wing 4.0 mm; clypeus very narrow (HClp=0.5; MxWClp =0.53; TeW=0.41; MiWClp = 0.47 mm), distinctly longer than wide at point of shortest distance between eyes, with ventral margin narrowly curved; occipital carina extending until insertion of mandibles; T1 longer than wide; color black with narrow yellow stripe on T1.

Material examined. Lectotype ♀, BRAZIL, Tefé, 06.ix.1904 (Ducke) ( BMNH). FRENCH GUIANA: Piste de St.-Elie, 7 ♀, Guyane, Piste de St.-Elie, 45m, 5°17’N 53°03’W, 26.ix.1996 (Wenzel & Carpenter) ( AMNH); PERU: 1 ♀, Valle Chanchamayo 800m, 1939, (Weyrauch) ( AMNH); ECUADOR: 3 ♀, Coca on Rio Napo, Napo Pastaza Prov., v.1965 (Le Pena) ( AMNH); BRAZIL: Pará, 3 ♀, Juruti, Beneficiamento, 16.vi.2009, Percurso 2, (S. Silva) ( MPEG); Mato Grosso, 1 ♀, Rio Papagaio, x.1966 (Lenko & Pereira) ( MZUSP); Amazonas, 3 ♀ (paralectotypes of P. rugulosa Ducke ) Teffé [=Tefé], 6.ix.1904 (Ducke) ( MPEG); 2 ♀, Manaus – INPA, 14.xi.1980 (Elias Brasil), 1 ♀, INPA – V18, 13.v.1982 (J.A. Rafael), 1 ♀, Manaus, R. Ducke, 30.xi.1981 (J.A. Rafael) Arm. Malaise, 1 ♀, 26km NE Manaus, Reserva Ducke, 30.iv.1982 (J.A. Rafael) Arm. Malaise ( INPA), 3 ♀, Manaus, 32m, 3°05’S 59°59’W, 23.iv.1997 (J.M. Carpenter) ( AMNH), 1 ♀, Manaus, 24.ix.1991 (G.A.R. Melo) ( UFPR), 1 ♀, 26 km NE Manaus, Reserva Ducke, 30.iv.1982 (J.A. Rafael) Arm. Malaise, 1 ♀, same data, INPA-V18, 13.v.1982 (J.A. Rafael), 1 ♀, Hwy 2F 2, km 20.7, Ca 60 km N Manaus 2° 30’S 60°15’W, 16.viii.1979 (Adis, Erwin, Montgomery, et al.) ( INPA).

Distribution. Mexico, Surinam, French Guiana, Colombia, * Peru, Ecuador, Brazil: AM, PA, MT.

Remarks. Spinola’s name Polistes minutissima seems to be the oldest name applicable to a species of the genus, and problems related to the probable loss of the type, and to difficulty of diagnosing close very similar species led to its use in several combinations referring to supposed varieties or subspecies ( Bequaert 1944a; Richards 1978). Recently, Carpenter (2012) examined type of de Saussure’s species deposited in the Spinola Collection in Turin, and solved various problems concerning the proper understanding of the concept of Protopolybia minutissima (Spinola) and relations with Polybia laboriosa de Saussure and Polybia minutissima de Saussure, and Protopolybia rugulosa Ducke. In particular, and very importantly, synonymy of Protopolybia laboriosa (de Saussure) under P. minutissima (Spinola) implies that the distribution of Protopolybia minutissima is now extended a thousand kilometers to north, up to Mexico (the only reference regarding the type locality of laboriosa ).