Zethus (Wettsteinia) Dalla Torre, 1904

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 (Wettsteinia) Dalla Torre, 1904 stat. nov.

Fig. 8

Wettsteinia Dalla Torre, 1904: 10 (genus). Bohart and Stange 1965: 25 (jr. syn. of Zethus ).

Labus sichelianus Type species: Labus sichelianus de Saussure, 1875 (= Zethus sichelianus (de Saussure, 1875)).

Laboides Zavattari, 1912: 65 (division of Zethus ). Bohart and Stange 1965: 25 (jr. syn. of Wettsteinia ).

Labus sichelianus Type species: Labus sichelianus de Saussure, 1875 (= Zethus sichelianus ( de Saussure 1875)).

Description.

Male antennae hook-like. Interantennal carinas present or absent. Clypeus of female short, without microstriae, with or without apical teeth. Number of teeth in male mandible variable. Galea length at most short. Labial palpi 4-segmented. Occipital carina ventrally complete. Vertex flat. Genal margin sinuous. Pronotal carina lamellar, strongly sinuous laterally. Pre-tegular carina present, incomplete. Welts and notaulices variable. Tegula evenly convex with outer margin usually raisen along entire margin, occarsionally restricted to posterior half. Epicnemial carina dorsally complete or incomplete. Mesepimeron without carina. Mid tibia with one or two apical spurs. Metanotum anteriorly margined. Lateral carina of metanotum reaching at most half of sclerite. Spines of posterior tibiae of females, when present, scattered or distributed in a row. Apex of marginal cell usually acute. Dorsal propodeal aperture present. Propodeal submedian carina complete, when present. Propodeal lateral carina limited to dorsal half and sublateral carina absent. Dorsal margin of propodeal orifice rounded. Apical lamella of propodeum present. Apex of marginal cell acute (Fig. 8B ). T1 with long or short stem and narrow expansion. Anterior margin of S1 elliptical or quadrate. Lamellae of T2 and 3 and S3 well developed and simple, without indents. S5 and 6 of male without carinas. Basal plate of aedeagus short.

Observations.

Bohart and Stange (1965) already suspected a close relationship between the species-groups in this subgenus but left it as part of Z. (Zethus) . A curious trait of females of many species here present is the three-spotted clypeus (on apical spot and a pair of lateral spots). Although it is not constant along the entire group, it is a pattern rarely seen outside this clade.

Distribution.

Nearctic and Neotropical.

Included species-groups.

Zethus cubensis , Zethus heydeni , Zethus montezuma , Zethus sichelianus , Zethus sulcatus and Zethus strigosus .

Included species.

58

Figures

Figure 8. Synapomorphic characters of Zethus (Wettsteinia) A habitus of Z. sichelianus B forewing of Z. adonis; arrow indicates acute apex of marginal cell. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.