Protopolybia amarella Bequaert, 1944

Dos Santos Junior, José N. A., Silveira, Orlando T. & Carpenter, James M., 2018, Taxonomic revision of the Protopolybia sedula species-group (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae), with an new identification key to species, Zootaxa 4403 (1), pp. 87-98 : 90-91

Protopolybia amarella Bequaert, 1944

( Figs. 4, 5, 6 , 22 , 26 )

Protopolybia amarella Bequaert, 1944a: 101 , 113. (holotype: ♀, Guyana, Source of R. Essequibo (MCZ, Cambridge), examined); 1944b: 266, 267; Richards 1978: 139, 149; Sarmiento 1994: 359; Rasmussen & Asenjo 2009: 49. Protopolybia mellea Ducke : Overal 1978: 11 (nomen nudum).

Diagnosis. Pronotal carina blunt, non-lamellate, distinctly extending downwards at side, humerus normal, pronotal carina blunt; pronotal fovea distinct and deep, metanotal lobe with apex pointed ( Fig. 4 ); wing-like processes on petiole of T1 reduced and not very sharp; species yellow, with light ferruginous and very few black markings, commonly on the mesoscutum ( Fig. 6 ).

Redescription. FEMALE. Length of fore wing 4.87 mm; clypeus relatively wide, approximately as long as wide (HClp=0.75; MxWClp=0.88;TeW= 0.59; MiWClp= 0.78 mm), with ventral margin pointed; 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 0.8 × distance between eyes at vertex; occipital carina distinct, fading very close to insertion of mandible; humerus normal, pronotal carina blunt, non-lamellate, distinctly extending downwards at side; pronotal fovea distinct, pronotal prominence extending above and close to pronotal carina, nearly collinear with fovea; length of mesoscutum 1.02 × its width; mesepisternal groove absent; scutellum with short but well-marked median line; metanotum triangular, length of median axis approximately 0.82 × width of central disk, metanotal lobe with apex pointed; propodeum with wide and shallow cavity; T1 with petiole very short, wing-like processes reduced and not very sharp, distal margin wider and nearly straight, cuplike; T1 notably narrower than T2.

Front, mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum with moderate micropuntation and shallow mesopunctation ( Fig. 26 ); ventral region of mesopleuron with distinct punctures; clypeus with short golden bristles, except ventral margin, which has elongated bristles; eyes with minute and sparse bristles; body almost completely covered by short bristles; propodeum with long and sparse bristles.

Coloration: species entirely yellow, except on mesoscutum which has small and sparse black marks ( Fig. 5 ); wings hyaline, venation testaceous.

Material examined. BRAZIL: Acre, 1♀, Rio Branco , Reserva Catuaba, 12.viii.1993 (M.L. Oliveira) ( MZUSP) , 1♀, Cruzeiro do Sul , 23.ii.1968 (without collector) ( BMNH); Pará , 1♀, Gorotire, 51W8S, 18.viii.1978 (D.A. Posey); 1♀, Serra Norte, Est. Fofoca, 23.viii.1984 (M.F. Torres); 1♀, Est. Manganês, 19–22.viii.1984 (MPEG); Amazonas, 1♀, Ipixuna, vi.2011 (A. Somavilla) ( INPA); Rondônia , 1♀, V. Rondonia, Aeroporto, 18.vi.1978 (without collector) ( BMNH); BRITISH GUIANA : 1♀, New River , Boundary Mark 12.v ..1938 (C.A. Hundson); COLOMBIA : 1♀, Putumayo, Mocoa, 600m, 6.xi.1974 (M. Cooper) , 1♀, 31.v. –7.vi.1976 ( BMNH); PERU: Pachitea , 1♀, 9239 (without date and collector) (MPEG), 1♀, Tingo Maria, 1.viii.1971 (BMNH).

Distribution. Brazil: Acre, * Amazonas, * Pará; Bolivia: Pando; Colombia: Amazonas; Guyana, Peru: Huánuco, Loreto, R. Pachitea.

FIGURES 7–12. 7, 8, 9. Protopolybia sedula ; 10, 11, 12. Protopolybia weyrauchi , Paratype.

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. 1, 2, 3. Protopolybia acutiscutis. wp, wing-like processes; 4, 5, 6. Protopolybia amarella.

FIGURES 21–24. 21.Protopolybia acutiscutis, pronotum, lateral view; 22.P.amarella; 23. P.sedula; 24. P.weyrauchi.

FIGURES25–28.25.Protopolybiaacutiscutis, mososcutum, dorsalview;26.P.amarella; 27. P.sedula; 28.P.weyrauchi. Red arrows, micropunctation and mesopunctation.