Polybia brevitarsus Richards, 1978, stat. nov.

(Figs 43, 44, 45)

Polybia belemensis brevitarsus Richards, 1978: 40, 96. Holotype ♀, Panama: El Valle, xi.1946, N. H. L. Krauss (USNM, type no. 71492); examined by photographs. Paratype from same locality as holotype examined by OTS in the NHM.

Diagnosis. FEMALE. Small size; narrow gena; rounded head in frontal view; posterior margin of pronotum with comparatively wide yellow band at sides, at least as wide as antennal scape at apex; anterior wing length 6.0–6.5 mm; pronotal carina weak, but perceptible; first metasomal segment relatively short, its length ca. 0.87 X height of mesopleuron; reduced outstanding bristles. MALE. According to Richards (1978) the male differs in few aspects; clypeus narrower with silvery pubescence; gena narrower; last metassomal segment flattened.

Examined material. Holotype, PANAMA: El Valle, 1♀, xi.1946 (N. H. L. Krauss) (USNM) ; Paratype, Panama, 1♀, ii.1932 (MNHN) (photographs) .

Distribution. Costa Rica; Panama.

Remarks. This species has pronotal carina indicated and a more rounded head in frontal view (Fig. 43), while P. belemensis has pronotal carina absent and a triangular-shaped head (Fig. 1). Furthermore, P. brevitarsus is slightly smaller than P. belemensis, with more compact body and legs appearing less elongated, which relates to the diagnostic character used by Richards (1978) (basitarsus “shorter”), on which the taxa name was based. These characters are sufficient to confidently separate P. brevitarsus from P. belemensis . We were not able to analyze the male paratype from Costa Rica. There are no published records of this species other than those of the type series from Panama and Costa Rica.