Protopolybia bella (R. von Ihering, 1903 )

Dos Santos Junior, José N. A., Silveira, Orlando T. & Carpenter, James M., 2020, Taxonomic revision of the Protopolybia picteti - emortualis species-group (Richards 1978), with descriptions of two new species (Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Polistinae), Zootaxa 4729 (2), pp. 228-248 : 230-231

Protopolybia bella (R. von Ihering, 1903)

( Figs 1, 2, 3, 4 , 33, 34, 35, 36 )

Polybia bella R. von Ihering, 1903: 146 . (holotype: ♀, Surinam, xii.1923? (MZUSP), examined.

Polybia bella R. von Ihering 1904: 177 ; Dalla Torre 1904: 77.

Protopolybia bella: Ducke 1905a: 18 ; 1905b: 674; 1907: 165, 166; 1910: 469, 473; 1918: 324; Richards 1978: 139, 146; Overal 1978: 11; Silveira & Carpenter 1995: 49; Rasmussen & Asenjo 2009: 49.

Polybia cameranii: Zavattari 1906: 10 . (holotype: ♀, Darien, Punta de Sabana (E. Festa, Mus, Turin) Syn. rev.

Protopolybia cameranii: Ducke 1910:473 (synonymized with bella ); Ducke 1918: 324; Richards 1978: 145.

Protopolybia picteti var. bella: Bequaert, 1944a: 117 , 118; 1944b: 266; Araujo 1960: 252.

Diagnosis. Length of fore wing 4.0– 4.62 mm; humerus distinctly projecting, carina lamellate and recurved forwards at extremity, not extending downwards. Metanotal process with apex truncated ( Fig. 1 ); propodeum with wide and deep excavated cavity, heart-like shape ( Fig. 1 ); color black to brownish moderately with marks yellow, scutellum with two small spots, metatonum partially, yellow; T2 with three spots anteriorly and narrow band posteriorly ( Fig 1–4 ); preapical region of aedeagus angular, parameral spine laterally expanded at base ( Fig. 33 ).

Redescription.FEMALE.Lengthofforewing4.0– 4.25mm;clypeuswide(HClp=0.56;MxWClp=0.78;TeW=0.50; MiWClp= 0.75 mm), with ventral margin acute; tentorial pit closer to antennal socket than to eye margin; interantennal area relatively wide, approximately 2 × diameter of antennal socket; mandibles relatively short with length 0.81 × distance between eyes at vertex; occipital carina distinct, strong and salient throughout; humerus distinctly projecting, carina lamellate and recurved forwards at extremity, not extending downwards; length of mesoscutum approximately 0.95 × its width; mesepisternal groove absent; scutellum with short and marked median line inconspicuous; metanotum triangular, length of median axis 0.73 × width of central disk, metanotal process with apex truncated ( Fig. 1 ); propodeum with wide and deep excavated cavity, heart-like shape ( Fig. 1 ), propodeal valvula narrow; T 1 in dorsal view with petiole short and distal margin wider and nearly straight, cup-like.

Frons, mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum with more sparse micropunctation and deeper and stronger mesopunctation, mesopleuron and T2 to T5 with distinct punctures; clypeus with short golden bristles, except on ventral margin, which has elongated bristles; eyes glabrous; vertex, mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum with more sparse and quite long setae.

Species black to brown, moderately marked with yellow spots ( Fig. 1–4 ); antennae ventrally testaceous, dorsally brown to black; mandibles brown, clypeus almost entirely yellow ( Fig. 3 ), inner and outer orbit with wide bands that extend to ocular sinus, frons with bilobate mark, two marks on vertex, small marks on pronotal carina and fovea, mesoscutum without marks, tegulae almost entirely brown, spots on mesepisternum and area below scrobe, scutellum with two spots, metanotum partially, propodeum commonly with small paired dorsal marks, T1 without marks, three basal spots and distal band on T2 ( Fig. 1, 2 and 4 ); T3 with distal band yellow; T4 and T5 black to brown. Coxae, femora and tibiae brown to black; tarsi brown; wings hyaline, venation brown.

MALE. Length of fore wing 4.80 mm; eyes wide, strongly produced inwards; clypeus narrow, longer than wide, with silvery bristles, ventral margin acute; tentorial pit closer to eye margin than to the antennal socket; gena narrow; color like the female. Parameral spine laterally expanded at base and without elongate bristles ( Fig. 33 ); basal and apical angle of paramere widened ( Fig. 33 ); digitus narrow, with apical margin rounded, basal margin with dense punctures, basal process acuminate; cuspis moderately with elongated bristles ( Fig. 36 ); ventral process of aedeagus angular, not projecting laterally, strongly sclerotized and serrated, laterally ( Fig. 34 and 35 ); preapical region of aedeagus angular ( Fig. 35 ).

Material examined. BRAZIL: Amazonas , 1♀, Parque Nac. do Jaú , 17–19.xi.2005 (M.L. Oliveira & F. Pereira) , 1♀, 19.iii–05.iv.2003 (M.L. Oliveira & J.A. Cunha) ( INPA) , 2♀, 4♂, Rio Japurá , 14.ix.1904 (Ducke) ( MPEG) , 1♀, 1.v.1904 (Ducke, A.) ( BMNH) , 1♀, Presidente Figueiredo , 20.vi.2004 (Noll, F.B.) ( UNESP-IBILCE) ; Pará , 1♀, Belterra , 13.xii.1999 (G.C. Venturieri) ( MPEG) ; PERU: Tingo Maria , 24♀, Huan. , 670m, i.1947 (W. Weyr- auch) , 1♂, Rio Hualaga , x.1948 ( AMNH) , 4♀, 670m (W. Weyrauch) ( FIOC) , 15♀ (W. Weyrauchi), 1♀, Iquitos , 11.viii.1906 (Ducke) ( MPEG) .

Distribution. Panama; Suriname; Peru: Huánuco, Junín, Iquitos; Brazil: Amapá, Amazonas, *Pará; Bolivia.

Remarks. The type specimen of P. cameranii was not examined, but in the original description it is congruent with P. bella . Silveira & Carpenter (1995) examined one specimen of P. bella from Panama, the type locality of P. cameranii , however they did not comment on a possible synonymy between these two species. Thus, based on the observations of Silveira & Carpenter (1995), P. cameranii is here treated as a junior synonym of Protopolybia bella .

The male genitalia of P. bella are described here and it is possible to see large differences in the shape of the aedeagus: ventral process of aedeagus angulated, not projecting laterally, strongly sclerotized and serrated laterally, when compared to P. biguttata , a species that is structurally closely related to P. bella , which presents the ventral process of the aedeagus lobed, but not projecting laterally, strongly sclerotized and laterally serrated.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Protopolybia bella. mp, metanotal process.

FIGURES 33–44. 33, 34, 35, 36. Protopolybia bella; 37, 38, 39, 40. Protopolybia biguttata; 41, 42, 43, 44. Protopolybia fulvotincta. 33, 37, 41. Parameres of the male genitalia. 34, 35, 38, 39, 42, 43. Aedeagus in dorsal and lateral view. 36, 40, 44. Volsella of male genitalia in lateral view. Scale 0.2mm.