Polistes (Palisotius) major Palisot de Beauvois, 1818

(Figs 83, 84)

Polistes major Palisot de Beauvois, 1818: 206, ♀, ♂.

Diagnosis. Female. Body pigmentation yellow or dark brown, when yellow it has dark brown spots on the bases of the terga and legs. Wings pigmentation reddish to brown; bristles evident on the first two thirds. Robust size, about 30 mm in total length. Clypeus long than it is wider, bristles in the entire length or only in the lower region, punctures medium-sized, deep present only in the apical region, pointed apex, 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, extending through entire gena; humeri slightly projecting; mesepisternum with short and dense bristles, small and shallow punctation; propodeal concavity widely extended in the center; propodeal striae strong, developed at the most to propodeal margins, sometimes weak on the sides; tergum I longer than wide, with short and dense bristles, and strong, medium sized, and deep punctures; tergum II wider or as wide as long; with short and dense bristles, weakly punctate. Male. Similar to the females, except for the contact between the clypeus and the eye, with a width equal to or greater than the diameter of the antennal socket; clypeus with rounded apex.

Material examined. 13♀, 1♂ in total. Brazil: Mato Grosso, 1♀ (NHM); Rio de Janeiro, 2♀ (MNB), 10♀, 1♂ (MNHN) .

Distribution. Brazil: Amazonas, Espírito Santo, Mato Grosso, Pará, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro; São Paulo; USA; Mexico; Nicaragua; Honduras; Guatemala; Costa Rica; Cuba; El Salvador; Bahamas; Dominican Republic; Puerto Rico; Jamaica; Trinidad; Colombia; Venezuela; French Guiana; Ecuador; Paraguay.

Comments. There are four subspecies; the nominotypical one is found in Brazil: P. major major Palisot de Beauvois.