Protopolybia sedula (de Saussure, 1854)

Dos Santos Junior, José N. A., Silveira, Orlando T. & Carpenter, James M., 2018, Taxonomic revision of the Protopolybia sedula species-group (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae), with an new identification key to species, Zootaxa 4403 (1), pp. 87-98 : 92-93

Protopolybia sedula (de Saussure, 1854)

(Figs 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 23, 27)

Polybia sedula de Saussure, 1854: 169 , 170. (syntype: ♀, Brazil, BA (MNHN), examined); Dalla Torre 1904: 78; Carpenter 1999: 18.

Polybia pumila de Saussure, 1863: 239 (holotype: ♀, Brasilia, Freiress, 235 (SMF), examined); Dalla Torre 1894: 165; Fox 1898: 449 (in part); Dalla Torre 1904: 78; Carpenter and Van der Vecht 1991: 215; Carpenter 1999: 18.

Polybia minutissima sedula: R. von Ihering 1904: 179 , 247, pl. 6 fig. 9 (nest; Brazil; Peru; Suriname).

Protopolybia pumila: Ducke 1905: 18 ; Bequaert 1944a: 101, 123; 1944b: 266, 270; 1949: 131; Machado & Rodrigues 1975: 95 –102; Machado: 1977: 771 –784; Richards 1978: 150; Overal 1978: 11.

Protopolybia punctulata Ducke, 1907: 166 , 167. (syntype: ♀, Barbacena, 20.x.1905 (Ducke), examined); Richards 1978: 142; Nascimento 1979: 11; Obrecht & Huber 1993: 178; Carpenter 1999: 1, 18.

Protopolybia sedula: Ducke 1907: 166 (key), 167; 1907 (1908): 94; 1908: 85; 1910: 470, 474; 1914: 309–311; 1918: 324; Bertoni 1918: 204; Fonseca 1926: 171 (nest); Overal 1978: 11 (list); Richards 1978: 144; Carpenter & Wenzel 1990 (1989): 180, 183; Machado 1982: 189 –192; Almeida & Castro 1991: 47; Sarmiento 1994: 359; Silveira & Carpenter 1996 (1995): 49; Garcete-Barrett 1999: 32; Rasmussen & Asenjo: 2009; Santos et al. 2015; 43.

Protopolybia minutissima var. sedula: Martorell & Salas 1939: 251 ; Bequaert 1944a: 106, 109; 1944b: 267; 1949 (1948): 131.

Protopolybia sedula morph sedula: Richards 1978: 140 , 150.

Diagnosis. Front with two spots yellow; pronotal carina weakly lamellate, extending downwards less at side and humerus normal; petiole of T1 narrow, without wing-like processes; species black moderately marked with yellow spots (Fig. 7).

Redescription. FEMALE. Length of fore wing 4.75 mm; clypeus relatively wide, approximately as long as wide (HClp=0.63; MxWClp=0.70;TeW= 0.52; MiWClp= 0.63 mm), with ventral margin pointed; tentorial pit closer to antennal socket than to eye margin; interantennal area relatively wide, approximately two times diameter of antennal socket; mandibles relatively short with length 0.78 × distance between eyes at vertex; occipital carina distinct, fading very close to insertion of mandible; humerus normal, pronotal carina weakly lamellate, extending downwards less at sides; pronotal fovea distinct, pronotal prominence extending above and close to pronotal carina, nearly collinear with fovea; length of mesoscutum 1.05 × its width; mesepisternal groove absent; scutellum with short but well-marked median line; metanotum triangular, length of median axis 0.82 × width of central disk; propodeum with a wide and shallow cavity; T1 with petiole short, distal margin wider and nearly straight, cup-like; T1 notably narrower than T2.

Front, mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum with moderate micropuntation and shallow mesopunctation ( Fig. 27 ); ventral region of mesopleuron with distinct punctures; clypeus with short golden bristles, except on ventral margin, which has elongated bristles; eyes with minute and sparse bristles; body almost completely with short bristles; propodeum with long and sparse bristles.

Coloration: species black, richly marked with yellow to whitish spots; antennae ventrally testaceous, dorsally brown; mandibles, clypeus almost entirely, inner and outer orbit with wide bands that extend to vertex and occiput, front with two marks (Fig. 8), two oblique marks on vertex (Fig. 9), narrow mark on pronotal carina and on fovea; two stripes on mesoscutum, tegulae with a small mark (Fig. 9), mesepisternum with two spots, one spot on metapleuron, two on scutellum and metanotum, propodeum with paired dorsal marks, distal narrow band on T1, basal lateral spots, and narrow distal band on T2, T3 to T5 with narrow distal band, yellow. Coxae, femora, tibiae black to brown; tarsi testaceous; wings hyaline, venation brown.

Genitalia. Basal and apical angles of paramere widened (Fig. 13); digitus narrow with apical margin rounded, and with short and few bristles (Fig. 16); basal process pointed; cuspis with short and sparse bristles; ventral process of aedeagus approximately angular, not laterally produced in dorsal view, very sclerotized and laterally serrated (Fig. 14 and 15); pre-apical region of aedeagus not angular.

Material examined. ARGENTINA: Missiones , 1♀, Dos de Mayo, xii.1973 (Fritz); Alto Paraná , 1♀, Bemberg, 15–17.iii.1934 ( BMNH); BOLIVIA: Rurrenabaque , 7♀, 2♂, Rio Beni, 1921–22 (W.M. Mann) ( AMNH) ; 7♀, 25.iv.1979 (M. Cooper); 4♀, x.1921 (W.M. Mant) (BMNH), Alto Beni, 4♀, S. Rio Inicua, i.1976 (Peña); La Paz, 1♀, Plazuela to Inquisivi, 1400–2200m, xii.1984 (L.E. Peña) (AMNH); BRAZIL: Amapá, 2♀, Serra do Navio , x.1959 (Bicelli) ( MZUSP) ; Acre, 3♀, Rio Branco , 25.x–8.xi.1991 (F. Ramos, A. Henriques, I. Gorayeb, N. Bittencourt) ( MPEG) ; Amazonas, 1♀, Itacoatiara, AM –010 km215, Faz. Aruanã, 0302S5850W, 24.iv.1994 (F.J. Peralta) ; 1♀, Parna do Jaú , 19.iii a 5.iv.2003 (M.L. Oliveira, J.A. Cunha) ( INPA) ; Pará, 3♀, Conceição do Araguaia , 17–21.ix.1979 (W.L. Overal) ( MPEG) ; Mato Grosso, 3♀, Xavantina, 21.vii.1968 (Rodrigues, V.M.) ; 3♀, 12°50’S51°47’W, 14.iii.1968 (O.W. Richards); 14♀, 09.x.1968; 8♀, 27.ix.1968; 1♀, 15.ii.1968 (UFRJ-MN); 1♀, Utiariti, Rio Papagaio , x.1966 ; 4♀, xi.1966 (Lenko & Pereira); Goias, 2♀; Dianópolis, 11–14.i.1962 (J. Bechyne); 1♀, Alvorada do Norte , Faz. Mattos, 10.vii.1991 (S.T.P. Amarante & C.F. Martins) ( MZUSP) ; Espirito Santo, 1♀, Santa Teresa, ii.1964 (C.T. Elias) ; 2♀, Victoria [=Vitória] 29.i.1928 (J.F. Zikán) (UFRJ-MN); 2♀, Colonia Mutum, v.1912 (E. Garbe); 3♀, (Garbe) (MZUSP); 31.i.1928; Minas Gerais, 1♀, Caxambu; 4♀, Serra da Caraça, 1380m, xi.[1]961 (Kloss, Lenko, Martins & Silva); 1♀, Rondonópolis, 14.xii.1950; 1♀, 27.xi.1950; 1♀, 30.xi.1950; 7♀, Passos, ix.1963 (C.T. Elias) (MZUSP); 1♀, Belo Horizonte, 05.v.2000; 1♀, 08.v.2000; 1♀, 31.v.2000 (Zanette, L.R.S.) (MPEG); Rio de Janeiro, 2♀, Itatiaia, Faz. Penedo, 15.ii.1942 (Vygod) ( UFRJ-MN) ; N. Friburgo (date and collector not specified) ( MPEG) ; Paraná, 1♀, São João Petrópolis, 6–12.vi.1967 (C. & C.T. Elias) ; 1♀, Parque estadual de campinhos, Tunas do Paraná, 24.i.2004 (Gonçalves & Aguiar) ( UFPR) ; Rondônia, 1♀, Vilhena, 17.xii.1986 (C. Elias) ( UFPR) ; 1♀, Porto Velho, 08.vii.2010 (Noll, F.B.) (UNESP-IBILCE); São Paulo , 9♀, São Paulo, 01. ii.1 944 (Z. Prado) ; 1♀, Piquette (MZUSP); 3♀, Rio Claro , 21.xi.1970 ; 2♀, 07.x.1970, 1♀, 13.i.1971 (Machado, V.L.); 1♀, 14.iii.1969 (Rodrigues, V.M.) (UNESP); 1♀, Ribeirão Preto, Campus USP, 24.viii.1999 (Zanella); 1♀, Franca, i.1911 (E. Garbe); 1♀, Itu, 09.ii.1961; 1♀, Salesópolis, Est. Biol. Beraceia 8–9.x.1988; 1♀, Campos da Serra, Cabeceiras do Rio M’Boy Guassu , 25.xi.1940 (F. Lane) ; 1female, Jaboticabal, Monte Alto, vii.1914 (R.v. Ihering) (MZUSP); 3♀, Ribeirão Preto, 27.viii.1979 (S. Pompolo); 1♀, Colônia 2RP; 2♀, 2♂, 12.i.1979; 1♀, Itatiaya [=Itatiaia], 700m, 13.xi.1931 (W. Zikán); 1♀, Est. Biologica, 13.xi.1931 (M. Zikán); 1♀, Trav. Lopes Et. Oiticica, Eug. Lafevre, 01.xi.1937 (UFRJ-MN); 1♀, Santo Amaro, 11.xi.1921 (AMNH); Santa Catarina, 1♀, São Bento do Sul , 26°19’S 49°18’W, 15.x.2001 (Penteado Dias & Equipe) ( MZUSP) ; COLOMBIA: Caqueta, 1♀, Yuruyaco, Florencia, 26.i.1979 ; 1♀, N. de Sant, Maracaibo Basin, Tibu, 15–16.vi.1976 (M. Cooper) (BMNH); ECUADOR: Sucumbios, 9♀, Limoncocha , 0°24`S 76°36`W, nest#16135, 28.vi.1971 (M. Nauman); Oriente , 1♀, Rio Cholayacu , 2.iii.1969 (L. Pena); Napo , 3♀, Anangu, 25–30.xi.1987 (Huybensz, M.); FRENCH GUIANA: 2♀, La Mana, 1854 (Melinon) ( MZUSP) ; GUYANA: Bartica, Kartabo, 1♀, 25.iv.1924 ( MZUSP?); Warratuk , 1♀, 31.viii.1937 (Richards & Smart) (BMNH); Mazaruni , 1♀, 31.viii.1937 (Richards Coll.) ( BMNH) ; PARAGUAY: 1♀, Puerto Bertoni (Bertoni) ( MZUSP) ; PARAGUAY: Bertoni (date and collector not specified) ( MPEG) ; PERU: Loreto, 3♀, Divisoria, 1500m, ii.1947 (W. Weyrauch) ; 1♀, Oxapampa, 1600m, 1940 (Weyrauch); Madre de Dios, 2♀, Loromayo, 10.ix.1962 (L.E. Pena); 1♀, 156km from Puerto Maldonado, 10–30.ix.1962 (AMNH); Valle Chanchamayo, 1♀, 5.iii.1949 (T. Schunke) ( BMNH) ; 3♀, 1.031; 1♀, Pachitea; 1♀, ix. 1895; 1♀, 1. 031; (MZUSP); 6♀, Oxapampa, 1600m, 1940 (Weyrauch) (UFRJ-MN); SURINAM: 2♀ ( MZUSP) ; VENEZUELA: 1♀, 24.vi.1926 (H.E. Box).

Distribution. Argentina: Misiones; Bolivia: Beni, * La Paz; Brazil: * Amapá, * Acre, * Amazonas, Bahia, *D. F., Espirito Santo, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Pará, Rio de Janeiro, * Rondônia, Santa Catarina, São Paulo; Colombia: * Amazonas, * Caqueta, Magdalena, * Putumayo; Ecuador: Napo; French Guiana; Guyana; Paraguay; Peru: Huánuco, Junín, Loreto, Cerro de Pasco; Surinam, Venezuela.

Remarks. P. sedula is widely distributed throughout most of South America, except for Chile. In this paper, we present new collection records of this species in the Amazon. Note that Richards (1978) considered the same species (black and sedula ) as “morphs,” based mainly on their color pattern and punctures. In some individuals, we also observed the existence of much less obvious wing-like processes, as in P. amarella and P. acutiscutis . Nevertheless, other traits indicate that only one species can be recognized. Thus, we propose that such observations should be treated only as variation among individuals, as in P. minutissima .

Figures

FIGURES25–28.25.Protopolybiaacutiscutis, mososcutum, dorsalview;26.P.amarella; 27. P.sedula; 28.P.weyrauchi. Red arrows, micropunctation and mesopunctation.