Charterginus xanthura (de Saussure, 1854)

Somavilla, Alexandre, Aragão, Marcos, Barroso, Paulo Cézar Salgado, Menezes, Rodolpho Santos Telles & Carpenter, James M., 2023, Taxonomic notes on the genus Charterginus Fox, 1898 (Vespidae: Polistinae: Epiponini) with images of the type specimens and new occurrence records, Zootaxa 5353 (2), pp. 143-152 : 149

Charterginus xanthura (de Saussure, 1854)

( Figures 5 A–B , 7A , 8 )

Icaria xanthura de Saussure, 1854 , Ét. Fam. Vesp. 2: 236, female - “ Madagascar ” [error] (London); 1890, in Grandidier, Hist. Madagascar 20, Hym. 1: 113, 125 (female)—Dalla Torre, 1894, Cat. Hym. 9: 121 (cat.); 1904, Genera Insect. 19: 75 (cat.)— Kojima and Carpenter, 1998, Entomol. Sci. 1: 417-420 (rediscription of type).

Icaria aberrans Gribodo, 1892 (1891) , Boll. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 23: 246, female - “ India ” [error] (Genova)— Kojima and Carpenter, 1998, Entomol. Sci. 1: 417 (syn. of C. xanthura (de Saussure)) .

Polybia huberi Ducke, 1904 , Bol. Mus. Goeldi, Pará 4: 341, female, nest (in subgenus Charterginus ) - [ Brazil:] “Oyapoc” (lectotype London)— Richards, 1978, Soc. Wasps Am.: 131 (designation of lectotype; syn. of C. aberrans (Gribodo)) — Nascimento and Overal, 1979, Bol. Mus. Para. Emílio Goeldi (N. S.) 95: 10 (list)—Carpenter, 1999, Am. Mus. Novitat. 3259: 8 (notes on types).

Charterginus huberi ; Ducke, 1905, Bol. Mus. Goeldi, Pará 4: 669, fig. 7, pl. II fig. 8a-b (nest); 1910, Ann. Hist. Nat. Mus. Natl. Hung. 8: 467 (female, nest; key; Brazil; French Guiana)— Bequaert, 1938, Rev. Entomol., Rio de Janeiro 9: 103; 1944, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 94: 264 (syn.: P. fulvicauda Cameron ; list)—Overal, 1978, Bol. Mus. Para. Emílio Goeldi (N. S.), Zool. 94: 9 (list).

Polybia fulvicauda Cameron, 1912 , Timehri (3) 2: 208 (key), 210, female - locality not stated [ Guyana] (London).

Charterginus aberrans ; Richards, 1978, Soc. Wasps Am.: 128 (key), 131, fig. 66.

Ropalidia xanthura ; Richards, 1978, Austr. J. Zool., Suppl. Ser. 61: 57 (in subgenus Polistratus ; list), 121 (key).

Charterginus xanthura ; Kojima and Carpenter, 1998, Entomol. Sci. 1: 417, figs. 2-12, 22-23 (syn.: I. abberrans Gribodo )— Andena et al., 2009, Journal of Natural History. 43: 1183–1193 (phylogeny, key).

Diagnosis. Length 8.0–9.0 mm., length fore wing 7.5–8.5 mm.

Blackish species, with yellow marks on clypeus, gena and lateral face, antennae and legs dark brownish; tergum I and II black, terga IV–VI totally yellow; wings subhyaline, costal region blackish. Pubescence sparse, brownish. Macropunctures on frons, vertex, mesosoma and tergum I dense, coarse, metasomal tergum II with dense and small punctation. Clypeus longer than wide, apex truncate; gena narrow, less than half width of eyes; occiput margined; occipital carina dorsal only, not projecting; humeri rounded, not projecting, sometimes very lightly projecting; tegula hardly more than twice as long as broad, posterior margin truncate; metanotum compressed; metanotum with a wide tubercle, apically truncate; propodeal orifice sides converging, almost pointed dorsally; metasomal tergum I petiolate, transversely widened posteriorly, without preapical transverse carina; tergum II with feeble traces apico-discal tubercle.

Comments. According to Kojima and Carpenter (1998), the holotype of Icaria xanthura de Saussure, 1854 , is in the Natural History Museum, London, and the species is a senior synonym of Charterginus aberrans . We did not examine the holotype, but we did examine the lectotype of Charterginus huberi , a junior synonym. The nest was photographed at AMNH ( Fig. 7A ). Charterginus xanthura collects Mullerian bodies from Cecropia obtusa trees in French Guiana (LaPierre et al. 2007), and in Cecropia concolor Willd. , C. palmata Willd. , C. purpurascens C.C. Berg , C. aff. membranacea , and C. aff. obtusa in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil (recorded by de Aguiar et al. in press.).

Type material examined: Lectotype ♀: BRAZIL: Amapá, Oiapoque, 13/06/1904, Ducke (col.), Brazil. Mus. Goeldi. 1910-90., Charterginus huberi Ducke ♀ type [label], NHMUK 010817941 ( NHM).

Additional material examined: BRAZIL: Amazonas, Manaus , EMBRAPA, 02°53’29’’S 59°58’45’’W, 11.x.2012, 10.xi.2012, 21.xii.2012, Guaraná orgânico, K. Schoeninger (col.) (3♀ INPA) , APA Tarumã - Ponta Negra , 12.2019-02.2020, 03°01’10’’S 60°04’44’’W, D.P.P de Aguiar (col.), in Cecropia tree (7♀ INPA) ; FRENCH GUIANA: xii.1997 - i.1998, A. Dejean (col.), Nest 47 (7♀,4♁ AMNH) ; Cayenne, Petit Saut PK , 91-6 rte. to Sinnamary , vii.1998, Dejean A. (col.), Nest 980700-1 (10♀ AMNH) ; GUIANE: Rio Essequibo (Sourse), J. Ogilvie (col.) (♀ AMNH) ; VENEZUELA: Amazonas, San Simon de Cucui , ii.1984, Rozen & Stupakoff (col.) (1♀ AMNH) .

Distribution ( Fig. 8 ): Venezuela *: Amazonas; Guyana; Suriname; French Guiana; Brazil: Amapá, Amazonas*.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Nests of Charterginus: A. Charterginus xanthura; B, C, D. Charterginus fulvus.

FIGURE 8. Map of the Neotropical Region showing the geographic distribution of Charterginus species.

FIGURES 4–6. 4. Holotype of Charterginus weyrauchi Richards, 1978; 5. Lectotype of Charterginus xanthura (de Saussure, 1854); 6. Holotype of Charterginus zavattarii Richards, 1978. A: lateral view. B: dorsal view.