Protopolybia eldinaris Santos & Silveira, 2020

Dos Santos Junior, José N. A., Silveira, Orlando T. & Carpenter, James M., 2020, Taxonomic revision of the Protopolybia picteti - emortualis species-group (Richards 1978), with descriptions of two new species (Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Polistinae), Zootaxa 4729 (2), pp. 228-248 : 234-236

Protopolybia eldinaris Santos & Silveira sp. nov.

( Figs 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 , 60 )

Diagnosis. Length of fore wing 4.00– 4.18 mm; humerus distinctly projecting, carina lamellate and recurved forwards at extremity, not extending downwards ( Fig. 18 ); mesoscutum with numerous notably elongated setae, distinctly curved apically; metanotal process long and with apex truncated; propodeum with a wide and shallow cavity, heart-like shaped ( Fig. 19 ), propodeal valvula wide ( Fig. 20 and 60 ); color black to brownish moderately marked with yellow, mesoscutum with two stripes, sometimes without; T1 and T2 yellow-marked posteriorly.

Description. FEMALE. Length of fore wing 4.00– 4.18 mm; clypeus wide (HClp=0.60; MxWClp= 0.77;TeW=0.50; MiWClp= 0.75 mm), with ventral margin acute ( Fig. 15 ); tentorial pit closer to antennal socket than to eye margin; interantennal area relatively wide, approximately 2 × diameter of antennal socket; mandibles relatively short with length 0.80 × distance between eyes at vertex; occipital carina distinct, strong and salient throughout; humerus distinctly projecting, carina lamellate and recurved forwards at extremity, not extending downwards ( Fig. 18 ); pronotal fovea distinct, preceded by a linear short and narrow prominence; length of mesoscutum 0.96 × its width; mesepisternal groove absent; scutellum with a short but well-marked median line; metanotum triangular, length of median axis 0.73 × width of central disk; propodeum with a wide and shallow cavity, heart-like shaped ( Fig. 19 ), propodeal valvula wide ( Fig. 20 and 60 ); T 1 in dorsal view with petiole short and distal margin wider and nearly straight, cup-like.

Frons, mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum with sparser micropunctation and deeper and stronger mesopunctation; mesopleuron and T2 to T5 with distinct punctures. Mesoscutum with numerous notably elongated setae, distinctly curved apically ( Fig. 16 and 20 ); clypeus covered by short golden bristles, except on ventral margin, which has elongated bristles; eyes glabrous; vertex, mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum with sparser and quite long setae.

Species black, richly marked by yellow spots ( Fig. 15–18 ); antennae ventrally brown to testaceous, dorsally black; mandibles brown to testaceous, clypeus almost entirely yellow, inner orbit with wide band that extend to ocular sinus ( Fig. 15 ), outer orbit with band that extend to vertex, frons with a bilobate mark, two marks on vertex, extensive mark on the pronotal carina and fovea, two stripes on the mesoscutum, sometimes without, tegulae partially, large spot on mesepisternum and on area below the scrobe, two spots on metapleuron, scutellum and metanotum partially, propodeum with paired dorsal marks, distal small spot on T1, three basal and one distal spot on T2; T3 to T5 sometimes with distal spot. Fore coxae yellow, mid and hind black to brown, femora and tibiae black to brown; tarsi brown; wings hyaline, venation black.

Type Material. Holotype, 1♀, BRAZIL, Pará, Belterra, 6.i.2000 (G.C. Venturieri); paratypes: 1♀, 13.xii.1999 ( MPEG); Mato Grosso, 1♀, Barra dos Bugres, R. E. Serra das Araras, 22.i.1986 (Zanuto, M.) ( MPEG); PERU: Pachitea ( Ducke ) ( MPEG); BOLIVIA: La Paz , 1♀, Alto Rio Beni, South of Rio Inicua , 1100m, 15–18.i.1976 (L.E. Peña) ( AMNH).

Distribution. Brazil: Pará, Mato Grosso; Bolivia; Peru: Pachitea.

Remarks. Protopolybia eldinaris sp. nov. is structurally similar to P. bella . However, P. eldinaris is significantly more marked with yellow spots and the fovea is more evident. In addition, unlike P. bella , the propodeum presents a wide and shallow heart-shaped cavity.

Etymology. The specific name is in honor to the first author’s wife, Eldinar.

Figures

FIGURES 15–20. Protopolybia eldinaris sp. nov. black arrow=elongated setae.

FIGURES 56–62. 56. Protopolybia fulvotincta; 57. Protopolybia djaneteae. Mesoscutum in lateral view. 58. Protopolybia picteti; 59. Protopolybia alvarengai; 60. Protopolybia eldinaris. Metapleuron in lateral view. 61. P. djaneteae. 62. P. rotundata. Pronotum in lateral view. Scale 0.2 mm. fmp, front margin of pronotum; black arrow=elongated setae.