Mischocyttarus fitzgeraldi Bequaert, 1938

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 : 64-66

Mischocyttarus fitzgeraldi Bequaert, 1938

( Figs. 38 )

M. fitzgeraldi Bequaert, 1938: 134 ; Richards, 1945: 342, fig. 31; Zikán, 1949: 197; Richards, 1978: 305.

HOLOTYPE: ♀ Trinidad, iii/35 (Fitzgerald) ( BMNH), examined.

FEMALE. Length of fore wing 11–12 mm; MWH/DLH slightly larger than 2.3, head in frontal view not very low, FHH/intOW 0.96; clypeus not very wide, H/WClp 0.91, median angle little projecting below, apex gently truncate, not very broad; malar space short; tentorial pit as close to antennal socket as to eye; mandible anterior surface without a prominent border; L/Wesc 2.33; occeli no so widely separated, POL a little less than two diameters, POL/OOL about 2/3; occiput with margin distinct; foraminal area shaped ventrally as a shelf; hypostomal lamella narrow; pronotum with lateral fovea, anterior margin medially with the lamella narrow, not reflexed, region just behind the lamella not raised into secondary margin; humeral angle prominent but not lobate, pronotal carina straight or slightly sinuous as seen from above, moderately raised laterally, total with of carina larger than that of mesoscutum; mesoscutum about as long as wide; fore wing moderately elongated, LDis/HMpl 2.25, pterostigma very long, about 3.4 times longer than wide; inner claw of hind tarsus with the apex somewhat rounded; propodeum well prolonged behind, with median furrow narrow and moderately deep, anterior area of propodeum adjacent to metanotum protuberant, nearly horizontal, propodeal valve large, strongly expanded posteriorly; first segment of metasoma very long ( Fig. 38 ), LSI/HMpl 1.3, distal part with sides diverging promptly from the spiracles, apex proportionally very wide, about 2.7 times wider than the basal petiole, spiracles little prominent, petiole flattened ventrally, limit between sternum and tergum proximally marked by a shining edge.

S culpture: disk of clypeus with very dense fine to medium sized punctures, and with more sparse less conspicuous larger ones, pattern occasionally with comb­like appearance, area close to the ventral margin with a few large punctures; mesopleuron with moderately dense medium sized punctures, with more sparse larger ones; laterals of the propodeum with large shallow punctures.

Vestiture: eyes with very short or without noticeable hairs.

Color: brown, darker on interantennal area, frons, and vertex (sometimes black), mesoscutum (sometimes black), and metasoma; scape below, apex of antenna below, diffuse central spots and apical area of clypeus (sometimes the whole clypeus), rarely outer orbit, a spot on inner face of fore tibia, yellowish brown; articular processes on meso and metapleuron, apex of fore femur, base and apex of mid and hind femora, propodeal valve, very light yellowish brown; lower part of inner orbit, yellow or orange yellow; dorsum of the fifth segment of fore tarsus, mid and hind tibial spurs, pale yellow; wings with the proximal membrane strongly darkened, specially near the costal margin, apical region rather pale, veins dark brown.

MALE: unknown.

NEST. Richards (1978) quotes a description of one nest by D. V. Fitzgerald (1938), the comb being formed by 40 cells arranged in two subsets whose spatial disposition and brown color made the nest very cryptic. It was attached by a lateral peduncle to a dry vine and resembled dead leafs.

Remarks

Mischocyttarus fitzgeraldi is only known from a few specimens collected in Trinidad. According to Fitzgerald (in Richards, 1978), the wasps presented the remarkable behavior of falling to the ground when disturbed, then flying off just before reaching it. The species shows similarities with M. villarricanus Zikán , M. funerulus Zikán , and M. mocsaryi Ducke , the first two recorded from southern South America ( Paraguay and the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, respectively), and the third species known only by the male holotype from Óbidos in Pará. Mischocyttarus fitzgeraldi shares with M. mocsaryi the absence of a secondary margin behind the anterior lamella of the pronotum, and a very long and narrow pterostigma of the fore wing.

Distribution SOUTH AMERICA: Trinidad.

Examined material

TRINIDAD: 3♀, iii/35 (Fitzgerald) , 1♀ Plum Road, Milestone 114, 6/iv/1982 (Cock) ( BMNH) .

Figures

FIGURES 26–42. M. tolensis: 26, mesosoma part dorsal, 28, female mandible, 29, male antenna, 30, T1; M. magdalenensis sp. n.: 27, mesosoma part dorsal, 31, T1; M. zikaninus: 32, male antenna, 33, T1; M. pseudomimeticus: 34, T1; M. mocsaryi: 35, mesosoma part dorsal, 36, male head, 37, male antenna; M. fitzgeraldi: 38, T1; M. villarricanus: 39, T1, 42, male antenna; M. funerulus: 40, T1, 41, male antenna.