Mischocyttarus imeldai Zikán 1949

Silveira, Orlando Tobias, 2019, Taxonomic notes on social wasps of the groups of Mischocyttarus wagneri (Buysson 1908) and M. barbatus Richards 1945 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae), Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 63 (1), pp. 53-72 : 69-71

Mischocyttarus imeldai Zikán 1949

( Figs. 33; 34 ; 37; 38; 40; 41 )

Mischocyttarus imeldai Zikán 1949: 152 , figs. 235, 295. Holotype: female, Peru, Valle Chanchamayo , 1.400 m, 1/x/1939, W. Weyrauch (IOC).

Mischocyttarus imeldai : Richards (1978: 333); Silveira (2008: 541).

Female

Length of fore wing 9.5 mm; clypeus a little wider than high, H/WCLP about 0.94, apex very narrowly truncate (more rounded in the Bolivian specimen), not so extensively in contact with eye, free upper part of lateral margin relatively long, more than 0.3 times the clypeus height at middle; malar space not so narrow; tentorial pit distinctly closer to eye margin than to antennal socket, the first distance only about 60% of the second; ocelli nearly as in a equilateral triangle, posterior ocelli only slightly more spaced; occiput rounded, carina absent; gena distinctly narrower than the upper lobe of the eye; pronotum with lateral fovea, central part of the anterior margin of pronotum with the lamella not so wide and poorly raised, not at all reflexed, region immediately behind produced into a secondary margin which is fairly acute but does not strongly project itself over the lamella; humeral angle poorly developed and not strongly projecting laterally, total humeral width about equal that of mesoscutum, sides of the pronotum as seen from above distinctly converging; pronotal carina absent at center, and very low at sides having a narrow translucent lamellar portion, mesoscutum about as wide as long, lateral margin adjacent to tegula poorly developed; fore wing relatively well elongate LDIS/HMP ca. 2.3; basal inner (posterior side) margin of fore coxa raised but less reflexed; inner claw of hind tarsus with the apex pointed but not definitely acute; propodeal dorsal cavity considerably deep and wide, developed along ca. two-thirds of length of dorsal face at middle; propodeal valve well developed on top and bottom, uniformly expanded, but rather angular below; first segment of metasoma well elongate, its length more than 1.3× height of mesopleuron (LSI/HMP about 1.4 or slightly more), and distinctly slender, only about 1.86–2.00× wider at apex than at base, spiracles not strongly prominent.

Sculpture: (following Richards, 1978) “ surface of clypeus slightly shining, very finely punctured with scattered larger ones, pubescence longer and more outstanding on upper part; propodeum with more punctate sculpture ”.

Vestiture: (following Richards, 1978) “ clypeus covered with rather dense silvery pubescence; most of head at sides and behind, and mesosoma covered by very long fine hairs, especially long on dorsum of propodeum ”.

Color (see Figs. 33; 34 ; 37; 38 ): Black; most of mandible anteriorly yellow, gradually turning to reddish at apex; antennal articles 9–12 yellowish to light reddish beneath; antennal scape (including radicle) beneath, reddish yellow; clypeus largely (except for large discal area and, sometimes, a narrow area adjacent to upper lateral margin), sometimes diffuse marks on supra-clypeal area, narrow streak adjacent to dorsal margin of antennal socket, malar space and inner orbits to top of ocular sinus, genal stripe (outer orbit), sometimes (nearly continuous to orbital mark) two paired very small dots on vertex by the inner side of eye upper lobe, small mark on pronotum ventral corner, tubercle, carina, and hind margin of pronotum, axillar mark, anterior transversal stripe and side plates of scutellum, anterior transversal stripe and side areas of metanotum, propodeal valves, and paired propodeal posterior dorsal spots (sometimes reduced), one dorsolateral stripe on mid coxa, two dorsal stripes on hind coxae; apical mark on all femora; distal bands on metasomal terga l-3 (-4, somewhat indistinctly), and sterna 2–3 (-4, somewhat indistinctly), yellow (somewhat reddish hue); reddish suffused areas on lateral of pronotum, mesepisternum and upper and lower metapleural plate, and disc of metasomal tergum 2; base of mid and hind femora with a reddish anterior spot; elongate mark on anterior face of hind tibiae, reddish brown; first article of all tarsi light reddish brown, remaining articles black; tegula light brown; wings hyaline, venation brown.

Male (see Figs. 40; 41 ) (largely following Richards, 1978)

“Length of fore wing 8.5 mm; clypeus wider than long, apex shaped as an obtuse angle, clypeus with dense silvery hairs; antennal apex just rolled, hook like, article 13 elongate 3.22 × longer than wide.

Color: Black; antennal articles 8–13 yellowish brown beneath; mandibles except large proximal triangular area, clypeus and face to just above antennal sockets, inner orbits to top of ocular sinus, malar space and genal stripe (outer orbit), pronotum laterally with a spot around fovea, carina and hind margin, axillae and anterior transversal stripes on scutellum and metanotum, propodeum valves and elongate paired posterior spots, anterior ventral face of fore and mid coxae, dorsolateral stripe on mid coxa and two stripes on hind coxa, apical mark on all femora, posterior bands on gastral terga 1–2, yellow; sides of pronotum, two large spots on mesopleuron, lower metapleural plate, suffusion on all tibiae, reddish brown; tegula brown; wings hyaline, venation brown.

Variation

Besides the male specimen in the NHM, from the same series of the holotype from Peru (Chanchamayo), but only much later described by Richards (1978), there is only one additional more recently collected female specimen from Bolivia (also in NHM) ( Figs. 34 ; 38 ). Richards identified this specimen as M. imeldai (1982; unpublished manuscript, pg. 57), but the collection identification label actually says “ Mischocytarus sp. near imeldai ”. It is a little larger (wing length 10 mm) and agrees with the holotype female in most characters, except for a somewhat trivial difference in the length of the first metasomal tergum (relatively shorter), and for a small difference in the shape of the apex of the clypeus which seems narrower (compare Figs. 37 and 38 ) .

Nest Unknown

Distribution Peru and Bolivia ( Fig. 46 )

Remarks

M. imeldai matches the other two species regarding the main characters defining this group, but it is otherwise intermediate with respect to the M. tarmensis group in some aspects of the shape of the pronotum, and reduction of the lateral margin of the mesoscutum (see below).

Examined material: Peru: Valle Chanchamayo, 1 male, W. Weyrauch ( NHM); Bolivia: La Paz, Chulumani , 1700 m, 1 female, 25/iii/1979, M. Cooper ( NHM) .

Figures

Figs. 27–34. General dorsal and lateral body views (females). 27–28: M. mourei (Brazil, PR, Curitiba, paralectotype, IOC); 29–30: M. barbatus (Colombia: Antioquia, MPEG); 31–32:M.mixtus (Mexico:Chiapas, EBCC); 33–34:M.imeldai (33 dorsal – holotype, Peru, IOC) (34 lateral – Bolivia,NHM); all scales =1.0 mm; scales in figs. (27–28), (33–34) are estimates.

Figs. 35–43. 35–38: frontal view of female head (35: M. camanducaia sp. nov., holotype, Brazil, MG, Camanducaia, MPEG; 36: M. declaratus, MG, Barroso, MPEG; 37: M. imeldai, holotype, Peru, IOC; 38: M. imeldai, Bolivia, NHM); 39 and 42: general lateral body view of males (39: M. proximus, SP, Campos do Jordão, MPEG; 42: M. declaratus, MG, Barroso, MPEG); 40–41: male M. imeldai (Peru, NHM) showing mandibles, clypeus and lower face (40) and antennal flagellum (41); 43: anterior-ventral view of face of male M. declaratus (MG, Barroso; MPEG); all scales = 0.50mm, except Figs.39 and 42 (= 1.0mm); scales in figs. (37–38), (40) are estimates.

Fig. 46. Partial truncated map for Central and South America with species distributions for the M. barbatus group, and with the pooled distribution of the group of M.wagneri (see next figure for detailed representation of distributions of species of this group).