Polistes (Epicnemius) niger Brèthes, 1903

Brito, Samanta, Oliveira, Marcio L., Carpenter, James M. & Somavilla, Alexandre, 2024, The genus Polistes Latreille, 1802 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) of Brazil: morphological diagnoses, identification key, and geographical distribution, Zootaxa 5496 (4), pp. 509-545 : 529

Polistes (Epicnemius) niger Brèthes, 1903

( Figs 61, 62 )

Polistes niger Brèthes, 1903: 20 , ♀.

Diagnosis. Female. Body pigmentation fully black, there may be brownish-yellow reduced marks on the scutellum and metanotum. Wings pigmentation dark brown to black. Intermediate size, about 18 mm in total length. Clypeus long than it is wider, with long bristles located only in the inferior region, and medium-sized and deep punctures present only in the apical region, apex rounded, clypeus-eye touching for an extent smaller than width of antennal socket; gena width at midlength equal to or slightly wider than eye; occipital carina strong, extending through entire gena; humeri slightly projecting; mesepisternum with short and dense bristles, small and shallow punctation; propodeal concavity only in the center, propodeal striae absent; tergum I longer than wide, with short and dense bristles, weak, small and shallow punctures; tergum II wider than or as wide as long, short and dense bristles, strong punctures. Male. Similar to the females, except that the clypeus is longer than it is wide, with a pointed apex, wing pigmentation weakly brown.

Material examined. 6♀, 1♂ in total. Brazil: Mato Grosso , 4♀ ( NHM); São Paulo , 1♀, 1♂ ( AMNH) , 1♀ ( MCZ) .

Distribution. Brazil: Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, São Paulo; Bolivia.

Figures

FIGURES 61–68. Polistes spp. 61, 62. P. (Epicnemius) niger Brèthes. 63, 64. P. (E.) obscurus de Saussure. 65, 66. P. (E.) occipitalis Ducke. 67, 68. P. (E.) orlandoi Somavilla & Carpenter. 61, 63, 65, 67. Dorsal view. 62, 64, 66, 68. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.