Polistes (Aphanilopterus) canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758)

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 : 513-514

Polistes (Aphanilopterus) canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758)

( Figs 9, 10 )

Vespa canadensis Linnaeus, 1758: 574 , ♀.

Diagnosis. Female. Body dark brown. Wing pigmentation reddish to brown. Large size, usually more than 25mm in total length. Clypeus slightly wider than long or as long as wide, covered by short bristles at its base becoming long toward the apex, and with deep medium-sized punctures in the apical region, apex rounded or 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; humeri slightly projecting; mesepisternum with short and dense bristles, and medium and deep punctation; propodeal concavity widely extended in the center, propodeal striae strong in the center and weak on the sides; tergum I longer than wide, with short and dense bristles, punctures strong, medium sized, and deep; tergum II wider or as wide as long, with short and dense bristles, weakly punctate. Male. Similar to the females, except that the clypeus is longer than it is wide, with a pointed apex, occipital carina extending along the entire length of the gena.

Material examined. 96♀, 3♂ in total. Brazil: Amazonas , 1♀ ( AMNH) , 1♀ ( MNB); Bahia , 2♀ ( MNHN); Maranhão , 6♀ ( NHM); Mato Grosso , 10♀ ( AMNH) , 7♀ ( NHM); Pará , 26♀ ( MNB) , 1♀, 2♂ ( NHM); Paraíba , 1♀ ( NHM); Paraná , 1♀ ( AMNH) , 1♀ ( MNB); Pernambuco , 1♀ [Paratype] ( MNB); Rio de Janeiro , 27♀ ( MNHN) , 6♀, 1♂ ( MNB); Rio Grande do Sul , 1♀ ( MNB); Rondônia , 1♀ ( AMNH); Roraima , 1♀ ( AMNH); São Paulo , 2♀ ( AMNH) .

Distribution. Brazil: Amapá, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceará, Distrito Federal, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraíba, Paraná, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondônia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, São Paulo; USA; Mexico; Guatemala; El Salvador; Honduras; Nicaragua; Costa Rica; Panama; Colombia; Venezuela; Ecuador; Peru; Guyana; Suriname; French Guiana; Bolivia; Paraguay; Argentina.

Comments. There are two subspecies. Both are found in Brazil: P. canadensis borientalis Richards and P. canadensis canadensis (Linnaeus) .

Figures

FIGURES 9–18. Polistes spp. 9, 10. Polistes (Aphanilopterus) canadensis (Linnaeus). 11, 12. P. (A.) cavapyta de Saussure. 13, 14. P. (A.) cavapytiformis Richards. 15, 16. P. (A.) consobrinus de Saussure. 17, 18. P. (A.) erythrocephalus Latreille. 9, 11, 13, 15, 17. Dorsal view. 10, 12, 14, 16, 18. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.