Mischocyttarus fidus, Silveira, 2006

Silveira, Orlando Tobias, 2006, Revision of the subgenus Kappa de Saussure of Mischocyttarus de Saussure (Hym.; Vespidae, Polistinae, Mischocyttarini), Zootaxa 1321 (1), pp. 1-108 : 58-59

Mischocyttarus fidus sp. n.

(Figs. 57–61)

HOLOTYPE: ♂ Brazil, Pará , Bujarú 15/vii/1978 (W. França) ( BMNH).

FEMALE: unknown.

MALE. Length of fore wing 8 mm; head exceedingly transverse as seen from above, in frontal view low and wide (Fig. 61), FHH/intOW 0.86; interantennal region prominent; clypeus rather flat, much wider than high, H/WClp 0.86, median angle relatively well produced below, apex narrowly rounded; malar space obsolete; tentorial pit closer to the eye than to antennal socket; mandible with posterior contour being curve up to vicinity of the first tooth, then inflecting again in posterior direction, first mandibular tooth very long, flat and blunt at the apex, fourth tooth absent; antennal scape very short and wide, L/Wesc 2.1, ventral surface of antennomeres with distinct but not very shining tyloids, third antennomere about three times longer than wide, antennal apex rather elongated (Fig. 60), with evident potential to become spirally rolled, antennomere 12 cylindrical, 13 slender, cylindrical, acuminate at the apex; occeli widely separated, POL a little more than two diameters, POL/OOL about 1; occiput with margin low; hypostomal lamella narrow; mesosoma as seen from above excessively robust; pronotum with lateral fovea, pronotal anterior margin medially with the lamella wide and little reflexed, region behind just raised into low secondary margin not projecting over the lamella, humeral region produced angularly (Fig. 57), carina with lamella translucent, high and slightly reflexed at sides, carina completely absent at the center, its (estimated) width larger than that of mesoscutum; fore coxa with anterior face not noticeably flattened; mesoscutum short, L/ WMsc 0.98; fore wing very short, LDis/HMpl only 1.65, pterostigma long and narrow; metanotum little convex; propodeum oblique and shortened behind, median furrow very deep, nearly reaching propodeal anterior margin, valve narrow and linear; first segment of metasoma very short (Figs. 58, 59), LSI/HMpl 0.9, apex about 2.4 times than the base, spiracles very prominent, sternum flattened, limit between sternum and tergum proximally marked by a prominent shining edge.

Sculpture: clypeus with little apparent dense fine punctures, and with more sparse medium to large sized ones equally little apparent; upper interantennal area and frons with dense comb­like medium sized punctures; mesopleuron mostly with moderately dense medium sized punctures, and with more sparse larger ones.

Vestiture: clypeus and supra­clypeal plate with dense decumbent pubescence, with intense silvery reflexes.

Color: black; antenna above and externally at the apex, tegula, lower metapleuron, legs, metasoma, dark brown; antenna below to antennomere 7, apex of first mandibular tooth, elongated spot on inner face of fore tibia, spot on base of mid and hind femora, articular processes on meso and metapleuron, light yellowish brown; inner orbit (more widely than usual), inner side of antennomeres 8–13, spot on mandible, outer orbit narrowly, lateral lobes of carina and posterior margin of pronotum, anterior margin of metanotum, propodeal valves, apex of femora and tibiae, spot on mid coxa, large lateral and smaller medial spots on hind coxa, distal marginal bands on all terga and sterna of metasoma, dorsum of fifth segment of fore tarsus, pale yellow; larger of hind tibial spurs distally pale; wings hyaline, with veins dark brown.

NEST: unknown.

Etymology The specific epithet fidus is a Latin word meaning “faithful, sure”.

Remarks

One single male specimen of this species in currently known, with a remarkable teratogenic asymmetry on the thorax, the left side appearing as if it had been crushed. However, based on morphology of the parts showing normal development, the specimen cannot be referred to any of the described species, in particular to M. adolphi which is the only one in this species group known to occur in eastern Amazonia.

Distribution SOUTH AMERICA: Brazil (PA).