Polistes (Epicnemius) billardieri ( Fabricius, 1804 )

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 : 525-526

Polistes (Epicnemius) billardieri ( Fabricius, 1804)

( Figs 47, 48 )

Polistes billardieri Fabricius, 1804: 274 , ♀, ♂.

Diagnosis. Female. Body brown, with yellow apical bands on meso and metasoma; scutum completely black. Wing pigmentation yellowish to faintly brown. Intermediate size, maximum 20 mm in total length. Clypeus longer than wide, with long bristles located only in the inferior region, with medium-sized and deep punctures, present only in the apical region, apex pointed, 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 only in the center of the head; humeri slightly projecting; mesepisternum with short and dense bristles, and small and shallow punctation; propodeal concavity just in the center, propodeal striae absent; tergum I longer than wide, bristles short and dense, punctures weak, small, and shallow; tergum II wider or as wide as long, short and dense bristles, weakly punctate.

Male. Similar to the females, except for the ventral region of the gena less width than the eyes, propodeum with striae slim in its center, wing pigmentation reddish to brown.

Material examined. 135♀, 2♂ in total. Brazil: Bahia , 1♀ ( MZSP); Goiás , 2♀ ( MNHN); Mato Grosso , 1♀ ( INPA); Minas Gerais , 1♀ ( MNHN); Paraná , 1♂ ( AMNH); Rio Grande do Sul , 130♀, 1♂ ( CESC) .

Distribution. Brazil: Alagoas, Amapá, Amazonas, Bahia, Distrito Federal, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraíba, Paraná, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Roraima, São Paulo; Trinidad; Colombia; Venezuela, Guyana; Suriname; Peru; Bolivia; Paraguay.

Comments. There are three subspecies, all of which are found in Brazil: P. billardieri biglumoides Ducke , P. billardieri billardieri Fabricius , and P. billardieri ruficornis de Saussure.

Figures

FIGURES 45–52. Polistes spp. 45, 46. P. (Epicnemius) bicolor Lepeletier. 47, 48. P. (E.) billardieri (Fabricius). 49, 50. P. (E.) cinerascens de Saussure. 51, 52. P. (E.) claripennis Ducke. 45, 47, 49, 51. Dorsal view. 46, 48, 50, 52. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.