Polistes (Epicnemius) Richards, 1973

Somavilla, Alexandre, Santos, Bernardo F., Carpenter, James M., Andena, Sérgio Ricardo & Oliveira, Márcio Luiz, 2021, Total-evidence Phylogeny of the New World Polistes Lepeletier, 1836, Paper Wasps (Vespidae, Polistinae, Polistini), American Museum Novitates 2021 (3973), pp. 1-44 : 19-20

Polistes (Epicnemius) Richards, 1973 , status rev.

Epicnemius Richards, 1973: 96, 102. Type species: Polistes bicolor Lepeletier, 1836 , by original designation.

INCLUDED SPECIES: P. actaeon , P. angulinus , P. atrox , P. bequaertianus , P. bicolor , P. billardieri , P. boharti , P. candidoi , P. cinerascens , P. claripennis , P. davillae , P. deceptor , P. geminatus , P. melanosoma , P. moraballi , P. niger , P. obscurus , P. occipitalis , P. pacificus , P. rufiventris , P. subsericeus , P. testaceicolor , P. thoracicus , and P. torresae .

DIAGNOSIS: Body of moderate to large size, 10–25 mm in length. Species with varying pigmentation: black or yellowish, with extensive spots on mesosoma and metasoma. Malar space slightly wider than long. Clypeus in female touching eye for an extent equal or greater than diameter of antennal socket; in male usually touching eye except for P. thoracicus . Pronotal fovea present or absent. Epicnemial carina complete and strongly distinct. Mesepisternal dorsal groove usually present and complete, sometimes incomplete or absent. Propodeal striae weak, sometimes evanescent, rarely with stronger striae restricted to central concavity. Tergum I longer than wide, gradually widened in lateral view. Last sternum without tubercles. Male genitalia with

Arévalo et al., 2004 Pickett and Wenzel, 2004

Palisotius

Epicnemius

(most)

Epicnemius

Fuscopolistes

(most)

Onerarius

Fuscopolistes

Aphanilopterus incl. Onerarius, Palisotius

Aphanilopterus + some Epicnemius

+ some Fuscopolistes

Pickett et al., 2006 Santos et al., 2015

This study, 53 terminals This study, 104 terminals Onerarius Epicnemius

Onerarius

Palisotius

Palisotius

Fuscopolistes

Epicnemius

Fuscopolistes

Aphanilopterus

Aphanilopterus aedeagus slender, teeth on the apical portion reduced or evanescent, penis valve little dilated and not or only weakly bilobed, digitus with developed apical process and rounded anteroventral lobe.