Zethus (Zethoides) peruvicus Bohart & Stange, 1965

Lopes, Rogério B. & Noll, Fernando B., 2024, Taxonomic notes on the Zethus olmecus de Saussure, 1875 species group (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Eumeninae), with the description of five new species, Zootaxa 5437 (3), pp. 363-383 : 377

Zethus (Zethoides) peruvicus Bohart & Stange, 1965

Zethus peruvicus Bohart & Stange, 1965: 159–160 (key), 167, 171 (Figs 165–167) (in subgenus Zethoides) 204 (aedeagus, fig. 343). Rasmussen & Asenjo 2009: 43 ( Peru). Type data: Holotype male, Belém [MPEG]. Type locality: “Iquitos, Peru Amazonico”.

Diagnosis. The tegula posteriorly bowed out and wide is diagnostic for both sexes.

Material examined. 2♀, 1♁ (see Supplementary Material 1). PERU: holotype, ♁, Loreto, Iquitos [ MPEG] . BRAZIL: 1♀, Mato Grosso, Cáceres [ DZUP] ; 1♀, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pantanal [ UFGD] .

Description. Female (hitherto unknown). Coloration. Black, with the following markings orange: mandibles; clypeus; scape and pedicel entirely; inner-ventral surface of flagellum most of gena, except narrow stripes on dorsal half along eye margin and genal margin; spots wide band from submedian portion of pronotum extending towards, but not reaching, pronotal lobe; large scrobal spot; apical half of parategula; very small pair of spots on scutellum and metanotum; fore and midlegs. Pale yellow: Hypostoma; gena inferiorly; proepisternum; anterior surface for forelegs apical bands of T2 and 3. Yellow: Outer surface of mid-tibia; apical band of T1. Propodeal apical lamella dark with hyaline tip and valvula amber. Wings hyaline with light brown costa and dark brown venation. Structure. Mandible 5-toothed. Clypeus with straight apex. Dorsum of clypeus and interantennal carina flat. Gena in dorsal view angulate. Pronotal carina with constant height. Humeral angles not projected. Pronotum short, humeral-tegular distance shorter than inter-humeral distance. Parategula digitiform. Tegula with outer margin posteriorly bowed out. Scutellum flat. Metanotum convex. Mid-tibia with two spurs. Dorsum of propodeum lower than metanotum and scutellum. Apical propodeal lamella triangular with wide rounded tip. T 1 in dorsal view with angulate expansion. S2 angulate in profile with a long straight posterior portion. Sculpture. Clypeus moderately striato-punctate. Dense macro and micropunctation on frons and vertex, sparser on gena where a small dorso-lateral portion is rather smooth, but not shiny. Pronotum and mesoscutum shiny with moderate macropunctation intercalated my very dense micropunctation. Scutellum with microstriae between sparse macropunctation, Mesepisternum with moderate micro and macropunctation. Metanotum densely micro and macropunctate. Propodeum with a few large sparse crater-like punctures, smaller and coalescent laterally with weak stria medially. Lateral carina complete. Submedian carina on basal 2/3 of propodeum, with base curved in lateral view. Submarginal carina slightly convex on dorsal portion, with obtuse dorso-lateral angles. T1 with basal transverse carina, and dense macropunctation with smooth shiny interspaces. T2–3 with very dense micropunctation obscuring macropunctures stopping close to apex forming a narrow smooth band, wider on T3. S2–3 moderately macropunctate with smooth shiny interspaces. Very dense micropunctation on T4–5 and S4–6, becoming moderate to sparse on T6. Pilosity. Clypeus mostly bare, except for dense patch along dorso-lateral margins. Short, thin, moderate to sparse setae along frons, most of vertex, dorsum of pronotum, scutellum and inferior half of mesepisternum. Moderate to dense on mesoscutum. Very dense, tomentose, on vertex behind ocellar region, lateral surface of pronotum, most of mesopleura, metapleural and propodeum (becomes longer on apex). T1 with sparse short setae. T2 tomentose. S2 with moderate, thick, and long pilosity. T3–5 and S3–5 with apical row of long setae, longer on sterna T6 and S6 with erect thin setae, short towards middle of sclerite and longer (not as long as preceding sclerites) apically. Measurement. Forewing length 6,8 mm.

Distribution. Peru, * Brazil (Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul) ( Bohart & Stange 1965; and new data).

Observations. The examined females, although collected very far South from the type location, present the bowed tegula unique to this species regarding the group. Some pale markings are smaller or missing in the female from Pantanal, which is also smaller, with forewing length of 6,4 mm.