Mischocyttarus (Kappa) tapuya ( Schulz, 1905 )

Silveira, Orlando T., Pereira, Jeferson F., Pinheiro, Mileudiane O., Amorim, Danielle A. & Dos Santos Junior, José N. A., 2022, Rediscovery of the social wasp Mischocyttarus (Kappa) tapuya Schulz, with description of the female, larva and nest (Vespidae, Polistinae), Zootaxa 5120 (2), pp. 289-294 : 290-291

Mischocyttarus (Kappa) tapuya ( Schulz, 1905)

( Figures 1–7 )

Polybia tapuya Schulz, 1905: 133 .

Megacanthopus tapuya: Ducke, 1907: 140 .

Mischocyttarus tapuya: Ducke, 1918: 353 ; Richards, 1945: 348, fig. 34; Zikán, 1949: 117; Richards, 1978: 293 (holotype: ♂ Brazil, Pará, Belém, 22.xii.1893 (W. Schulz) (NHM), examined).

Material examined. BRAZIL: Pará, 3 ♀, 4 ♂, Belém, Utinga , 14.ix.2018, Pinheiro, M., Pereira, J., Amorim, D., Coutinho, L. ( MPEG) .

FEMALE. ( Figs. 1–3 )

Diagnosis. Female medium-sized; metasomal sternum I distinctly flattened, its lateral limit with tergum marked by a prominent linear shining edge; anterior margin of proepisternum raised and reflexed; pronotum with lateral fovea, dorsal carina interrupted at center; metasomal segment I exceedingly long and nearly linear, scarcely wider apically than basally; metapleuron and propodeum with very large and moderately deep punctures of circular outline, almost as wide as secondary spiracular entrance on mesopleuron; pronotum (often), mesopleuron (often) and metapleuron (always) extensively tinged with light reddish brown.

Description. Length of fore wing 8.7–9.2 mm; head transverse as seen from above, MWH/DLH about 2.5, in frontal view low, FHH/intOW ca. 0.84; clypeus convex and very wide, H/WClp ca. 0.80, median angle projecting below with apex narrowly rounded; malar space moderately wide, a little more than 1/3 of the height of an antennal socket; tentorial pit slightly closer to the antennal socket than to the eye; anterior surface of mandible without a prominent border; antennal scape short and wide, L/Wesc ca. 2.2; ocelli widely separated, POL about 2 times larger than distance between one posterior ocellus and the median ocellus, POL/OOL about 4/5; occiput with dorsal carina distinct but not very high; foraminal area shaped ventrally as a shelf; hypostomal lamella narrow; pronotum with lateral fovea, pronotal anterior margin medially with the lamella wide, not reflexed, region just behind definitely and acutely raised as secondary margin but scarcely projecting over the lamella, carina very low and scarcely projecting at sides, slightly reflexed there and forming a small lateral lobe, but humeral angle only slightly projecting, carina as seen from above with profile straight or slightly concave forward, noticeably interrupted at center, total width larger than that of mesoscutum, sides of pronotum little converging, mesoscutum a little longer than wide, L/WMsc ca. 1.08; fore wing relatively short, LDis/HMpl ca. 1.84, pterostigma about 3 times longer than wide; metanotum just convex; inner claw of hind tarsus with apex relatively wide but not quite rounded; propodeum relatively short but with definite wide protuberant zone adjacent to metanotum, median furrow short triangular, deeper behind, valve from the sides as a high triangular shape, with posterior angle rounded, limit between propodeum and lower metapleuron marked by a moderately deep sulcus; first segment of metasoma very elongated, LSI/HMpl ca. 1.53, with a linear portion just behind the spiracles, these being moderately prominent, apical part only about 1.68 times wider than the basal petiole, the latter ventrally flattened, limit between sternum and tergum proximally marked by a prominent shining edge.

Sculpture: disk of clypeus with moderately dense small to medium sized punctures, and with many fairly conspicuous larger ones, interstices rather shining, area close to ventral margin reticulate and rather shining, with few large punctures; upper interantennal area and frons with dense medium sized punctures; mesopleuron with numerous small to medium sized punctures and with less dense larger ones, the two size classes very distinct, interstices rather shining; upper metapleuron, lower metapleuron anteriorly, and propodeum dorsolaterally with large to very large punctures with roughly circular outline.

Vestiture. eyes with hairs very short, inconspicuous.

Color black, with a dark brown hue on legs, outer contour of tegula, and lateral areas of metasoma; antennal scape beneath, yellow; flagellum below, light reddish brown; mandible and narrow longitudinal streak on adjacent region of head capsule close to mandibular articulation, most of clypeus, paired areas on supraclypeal plate and around antennal sockets, extensive areas on the dorsal and lateral aspects of pronotum (often), mesopleuron (often), and metapleuron invading anterior areas of propodeum laterally (always) light reddish brown; ventral marginal streak on clypeus, inner orbit to ocular sinus, narrow marginal areas on mandible, narrow dorsal streak on gena, carina very narrowly and posterior margin of pronotum, meso-axillar area, anterior marginal band on metanotum and metaxillar area; posterior margin of mesosternum narrowly and mesopleural articulation process, ventral median longitudinal mark and wide lateral longitudinal mark on mid coxa, two such elongate marks on hind coxa, apex of femora narrowly with lateral extensions, apical spots on tibiae and tibial spurs, dorsum of the fifth segment of fore tarsus, medium sized paired oval spots on propodeum, part of valves narrowly, narrow distal marginal band on metasomal terga 1–5, apical region of sternum 1, lateral residual marginal mark on sterna 2–4, yellow (mostly pale yellow); wings hyaline, veins dark brown.

MALE. Described by Silveira (2006: 32, figs 23, 25) (variation and comparison with the holotype of M. tapuya ) ( Figs. 4, 5 ) .

The studied male specimens have the antennal apex slightly more elongated, with more definitely rolled aspect, the humeral angle is less prominent, the pronotal carina slightly higher and less reflexed and projecting at sides, without forming a well-developed lateral lobe, and the propodeal median furrow being quite definite and relatively deep; in one of the specimens the metapleuron is black (not light reddish brown). The ranges for some morphometric measurements and ratios are as follows: fore wing length (8.5–9.0 mm); FHH/intOW (0.80–0.83); H/WClp (0.76– 0.82); L/Wesc (2.14–2.38); length/width of 12th_antennomere (1.71–2.0); length/width of 13th_antennomere (3.20–3.80); POL/OOL (0.72–1.13); L/WMsc (1.05); LDis/HMpl (1.57–1.67); LSI/HMpl (1.51–1.55); WT1a/b (1.40–67).

Ranges of all these measurements and ratios above encompass those observed in the holotype of M. tapuya (see Silveira 2006). On the other hand, the male holotype of M. paris Silveira, 2006 is definitely a larger wasp, with the mesoscutum distinctly longer than broad, with wings longer in both absolute terms and (relatively) with respect to body size, but with the first metasomal segment proportionally shorter. Interestingly, in the female of M. tapuya the large punctures on metapleuron and propodeum do not have the characteristic polygonal shape of males, but instead have circular outline just like in the male of M. paris .

Larva. With the typical morphology of species of the subgenus Kappa , with only one abdominal ventral process, and with transverse rows of strong bristles on abdominal sterna ( Fig. 6 ).

Nest. An uncovered uniformly brown single comb with roughly trapezoidal shape, measuring ca. 3.2 cm (larger side) × 2.2 cm (smaller side) × 2.2 cm (height), and a very short pedicell; with 37 complete cells ( Fig. 7 ).

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. 1, 2, 3. Dorsal, lateral and frontal-lateral views of the female of M. tapuya; 4, 5. Aspects of the integument sculpture of the male (meso and metapleuron and propodeum); 6. Ventral view of the mature larva; 7. nest (largest side = 3.2 cm); 8. Map of the Belém metropolitan area with collecting locallity (Utinga) of M. tapuya.