Zethus Fabricius, 1804

Lopes, Rogerio Botion, Carpenter, James M. & Noll, Fernando Barabosa, 2021, Cladistic analysis of Zethus Fabricius, 1804 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae): a new subgeneric classification, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 82, pp. 253-283 : 253

Zethus Fabricius, 1804

Zethus Fabricius, 1804: 282 (genus). Giordani Soika 1958: 75 (revision of Oriental species). Bohart and Stange 1965 (subgenera, revision new world species). Giordani Soika 1979: 20 (revision African species). Carpenter 1986: 88 (cat.). Vecht and Carpenter 1990: 60 (cat.). Carpenter et al. 2010 (cat. African species).

Zethus coeruleopennis Type species: Zethus coeruleopennis (Fabricius, 1798) (= Vespa coerulepennis Fabricius, 1798).

Lethus Say, 1837: 387 (misspelling).

Heros de Saussure, 1856: 115 (division of Zethus ).

Euzethus Dalla Torre, 1904: 14 (name for division I of Zethus in de Saussure 1852).

Vespa coeruleopennis Type species: Vespa coeruleopennis (Fabricius, 1798).

Description.

Frons projected over antennal socket. Gena angled. Occipital carina ventrally complete, with small branch or completely absent. Pronotal carina short or lamellar. Proepisternum with posterior margin lamellar (Fig. 2A ), rarely blunt. Metanotum bent, rarely flat. Mid tibia with one or two spurs. Propodeum without apical rim. Propodeum with or without apical lamella, orifice slit like. Valvula projected, with superior margin free, infero-posterior angle straight. T1 variable. T2 with evident stem (Fig. 2C ), occasionally absent.

Observations.

The large diversity included in Zethus reflects diagnostic features, of which few encompass the entirety of the genus, only the projected frons, angled gena, absence of the apical rim in the propodeum, orifice slit like and traits of the valvula being constant within the group. Also, the absence of the apical rim in propodeum is constant throughout the entire genus while it is present in most of the other Zethini . The subgenera are more defined in more detail.

Distribution.

Cosmopolitan (specified under each subgenus)

Included species.

298 (listed under each subgenus in Suppl. material 3)

Figures

Figure 2. Synapomorphies supporting Zethus and relationships between its lineages A proepisternum of Z. spinipes, ventral view; arrowheads indicate lamellae B second metasomal tergum of Z. yarrowi, dorsal view; arrow indicates stem C pronotum of Z. rodhaini, lateral view D pronotum of Z. planiclypeus, lateral view E pronotum of Z. robustus, lateral view; arrow indicates dorsal suture F ocelli of Z. mandibularis G pronotal carina of Z. smithii, postero-dorsal view; arrowhead indicates notch H latero-posterior region of the pronotum of Z. rodhaini; arrow indicates pre-tegular carina I lateral portion of mesoscutum of Z. spinipes; arrow indicates discoid puncture J mesepisternum of Z. jurinei; arrows indicate dorsal (upper arrow) and mid (lower arrow) sections of epicnemial carina K third metasomal tergum of Z. fraternus; arrow indicates gradulus L second metasomal tergum of Z. aztecus; arrow indicates lamella. M third metasomal sternum of Z. fraternus; arrow indicates gradulus N tegula of Z. aztecus O ocelli of Z. spinipes P third metasomal tergum of Z. spinipes; arrow indicates interruption of gradulus. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.