Polistes (Gyrostoma) tenuispunctia Kim, 2001

Tan, Jiang-Li, Achterberg, Kees Van, Duan, Mei-Jiao & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2014, An illustrated key to the species of subgenus Gyrostoma Kirby, 1828 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae) from China, with discovery of Polistes (Gyrostoma) tenuispunctia Kim, 2001, Zootaxa 3785 (3), pp. 377-399 : 393-395

Polistes (Gyrostoma) tenuispunctia Kim, 2001

( Figs 24–26 )

Polistes tenuispunctia Kim 2001: 59 (holotype, ♀, Aengmobung, Gyeonggi-do, Korea, deposited in Korean Entomological Institute, Korean University, Seoul).

Material examined. 2♂, Yuanba, Liping, Nanzheng, Hangzhong, Shaanxi, 12.x.2011, JL Tan ( NWUM); 1♂, 2♀, Guanghuojie, Ningshan, Shaanxi, 27.vi.2013, JL Tan ( NWUM); 1♂, 8♀, Watershed Natural Reserve, Yueba Foping, Shaanxi, 27.vii.2013, 33˚32' 57.31˝N, 107˚49'12.91˝E, 1083 m, JL Tan, ( ZJUH; including a nest with two females); 6♂, 2♀, Sangyuan Natural Reserve, Liuba, Shaanxi, 33.43˚N, 107.12˚ E, 1212 m, 17.viii.2013, BB Tu ( ZJUH).

Diagnosis. The male of this species can be easily distinguished from all its congeners by the key ( Fig. 13, 24 ). The female is very similar to the sympatric species Polistes rothneyi f. grahami van der Vecht, but differs from the latter by the characteristics listed in Table 1 . Without a male this species is very hard to separate from the latter species except for their colour pattern. The different nesting site is of additional importance. The most important differentiating character mentioned by Kim (2001) (body very weakly and superficially punctate in both sexes) seems rather variable and does not work very well for Chinese specimens.

Biology. Several individuals are found frequently flying in and out the high eaves suggesting that the nest was concealed in a secret place such as inside the hollow wooden eaves or wall. The collected nest we took from a hollow doorframe; the key hole acted as their entrance; the single comb nest had about 50 cells, 10 mm in diameter, suspended inside with one central narrow pedicel; pedicel about 3.2 mm wide (minimum diameter) and 5 mm long, cell-marginal and with buttressed sheet; cells were hexagonal and regularly arranged with the average diameter (between opposite sides) 6.0–7.5 mm, variable in length and increased as the stage advanced. Cocoon capping is white and protruding about 8.5 mm beyond the cell mouth ( Figures 26 A–B ).

Distribution. Korea, China (Shaanxi).

Figures

FIGURE 24. Polistes tenuispunctia Kim, 2001, male. A, habitus, dorsal view; B, habitus, lateral view; C, head, frontal view; D, apical segments of antenna; E, mesosoma, lateral view; F, metasomal last visible sternite, ventral view.

FIGURE 25. Polistes tenuispunctia Kim, 2001, female. A, habitus; B, head, frontal view; C, mesosoma, lateral view; D, mesosoma, dorsal view; E, metasomal tergite I, dorsal view.

FIGURE 26. A – B. Nest of Male of Polistes tenuispunctia Kim, 2001. A, nest (broken when taken out of the small hole); B, nest suspending inside a hollow doorframe with two females. C – F. P. rothneyi grahami van der Vecht, 1968. C, habitus (from Mt. Qinling, Shaanxi); D, nest (from Mt. Qinling, Shaanxi); E, mesosoma, lateral view (paratype in RMNH); F, metasomal tergum I, dorsal view (paratype in RMNH).

Tables

TABLE 1. Comparison of the females of Polistes tenuispunctia Kim and P. rothneyi grahami van der Vecht.

Female	P. tenuispunctia Kim	P. f. grahami van der Vecht
Occipital carina	Ventral third absent or vestigial	Completely developed ventrally, rarely vestigial
General colour	Mesopleuron (as metapleuron) largely blackish, except for a yellow anterior patch (Fig. 25C)	Mesopleuron with 2 yellow patches and metapleuron with 1 patch (Fig. 26C, E)
Lateral side of pronotum	Upper half reddish yellow and lower half black (Fig. 25C)	Upper two thirds yellow or yellow with a central black patch, lower third black or yellow with a small black irregular spot (Fig. 26E)
Number of yellow stripes of mesoscutum	4	2 or 4
Propodeal lobe	Black (Fig. 25C)	Largely yellow (Fig. 26E)
Lateral part of propodeum	Entirely black or with a small spot (Fig. 25C)	Usually with large yellow patch (Fig. 26E)
Metasomal tergite I	Anterior margin of apical band irregularly meandered and widely narrow medio-dorsally (Fig. 25E)	Usually anterior margin of apical band straight with black mid-line extending to half length of band (Fig. 26F)
Nest location	Concealed in a hollow space (Fig. 26B)	Exposed under an eave
Nest morphology	Minimum diameter of pedicel about 3 mm (Fig. 26A)	Minimum diameter of pedicel about 2 mm (Fig. 26D)