Polistes (Polistella) communalis Nguyen, Vu & Carpenter, 2017

Nguyen, Lien Thi Phuong, Vu, Thuong Thi, Lee, John, X. Q. & Carpenter, James M., 2017, Taxonomic notes on the Polistes stigma group (Hymenoptera, Vespidae: Polistinae) from continental Southeast Asia, with descriptions of three new species and a key to species, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 65, pp. 269-279 : 274-276

Polistes (Polistella) communalis Nguyen, Vu & Carpenter , new species

( Figs. 13–21 )

Material examined. HOLOTYPE: female, pinned (deposited in the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Hanoi ). Original label: “ VIETNAM, Son La, Phu Yen, Gia Phu, Vo Nguyen Giap forest, 21°13′07.9″N, 104°32′39.7″E, 350 m, Nest# VN-SL-2015-P-02, 18-VI-2015, D.D. Nguyen ” . PARATYPES ( IEBR): VIETNAM : Dak Lak: 1 female, Station 9, Ea So natural reserve, Ea So, Ea Kar, 12°59′15″N, 108°40′18″E, ca 350 m, 15 April 2015, coll. L. T.P Nguyen , D.D Nguyen & M.P. Nguyen ; Nghe An: 1 female, Pu Mat NP, Con Cuong, 27 July 2004, coll. L. T .P. Nguyen; Son La: 5 females, 6 males, same data as holotype; Vo Nguyen Giap forest , Gia Phu , Phu Yen, 21°13′07.9″N, 104°32′39.7″E, 350 m (1 female, 18 June 2015, coll. D.D. Nguyen; 1 female, 17 June 2015, coll. D. T. Nguyen) ; Tuyen Quang: 10 females, Bac Vang ranger station, Na Hang national reserve, Na Hang, 22°29′43″N, 105°25′26.8″E, ca 150 m, 10 June 2015, coll. L. T.P. Nguyen , D.D. Nguyen & L.X. Truong; 1 female, Na Hang NR, Son Phu ranger station, 22°20′52.6″N, 105°25′49″E, ca 120 m, Nest #VN-TQ-2015-P-02, 10 June 2015, coll. L. T.P. Nguyen , D.D. Nguyen & L.X. Truong; ( VNMN) : Tuyen Quang: 5 females ( VNMN _E 000.000.130, VNMN _E 000.000.131, VNMN _E 000.000132, VNMN _E 000.000133, VNMN _E 000.000.134). Bac Vang ranger station, Na Hang national reserve, Na Hang, 22°29′43″N, 105°25′26.8″E, ca 150 m, 10 June 2015, coll. L. T .P. Nguyen, D.D. Nguyen & L.X. Truong.

Other material examined. VIETNAM ( IEBR): Bac Giang: Thanh Son, Son Dong , 1 female, 7 July 2010, coll. D.D. Tran; 1 female, 300m, 1 July 2010, coll. H.P. Pham; 1 female, Khe Vang, An Lac, Son Dong , 21°18′N, 106°56′E, 4 June 2014, coll. L. T.P. Nguyen, D.D. Nguyen & D.D. Tran ; Ha Giang: 1 female, Tung Ba, Vi Xuyen , 24 June 2013 , coll. T. T. Van ; Ha Noi: 7 females, 4 males, Ba Vi NP, Van Hoa, Ba Vi , 3 June 2001 , coll. L. T.P. Nguyen ; 1 female, Khoang Xanh , Yen Hoa, 100 m, 1 June 2001 , coll. L. T.P. Nguyen ; Hai Phong: Cat Ba NP, Cat Hai , 1 female, 15–18 July 2003, coll. L. T.P. Nguyen ; Hoa Binh: 1 female, 2 males, Lac Village, Chieng Chau, Mai Chau , 600 m, 10 June 2008, coll. L. T. P. Nguyen; P.H. Pham; Da Phuc, Yen Thuy (1 female, 4 May 2002, coll. T. V. Hoang ; 3 females, 16 July 2000, coll. L.X. Truong; 1 female, Malaise trap, 1–10 June 2002); Ninh Binh: Cuc Phuong NP (1 female, 1 May 2002; 1 female, 9-V-2002), coll. T. V. Hoang ; Lang Son: 1 female, Dinh Lap, Nong Truong , 16 May 2013, coll. D.D. Tran ; Lao Cai: 1 female, Ban Xeo , Bat Xat, 23 June 2008 ; coll. L. T.P. Nguyen & P.H. Pham ; Thai Nguyen: 1 female, Phuc Xuyen, Dai Tu , 23 April 2012, coll. L.D. Khuat ; 1 female, Xom O, Yen Lac, Phu Luong , 2 June 2014 , coll. L. T. P. Nguyen & T. T. Van ; Thanh Hoa: Xuan Lien NR, Hon Can, Van Xuan, Thuong Xuan , ca. 110m, 19°52′27.5″N, 105°14′20.8″E, 23 August 2012 , coll. L. T.P. Nguyen ; 6 females, Xuan Hoa, Nhu Xuan , light trap, 29 May 2008 ; 1 female, Lung Cao, Ba Thuoc , 500 m, 12 June 2003 , coll. L. T.P. Nguyen ; Vinh Phuc: 1 female, Me Linh, Vinh Yen (3 female, 22 August 2000, coll. L. T. P. Nguyen; 1 female, 10 June 2014, coll. D.D. Nguyen) ; 1 female, Tam Dao NP, <50 m, 21 August 2005 , coll. L. T. P. Nguyen & J. Kojima , Phu Tho: 6 females, Ha Hoa , 19 May 2016 , coll. T. T. Vu .

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: Gena in lateral view slightly wider than eye; length of lateral margin of clypeus lying along inner eye margin 0.7 times as long as diameter of antennal socket and the length of the malar space; flagellomere I 3 times as long as its maximum width; body with coarse punctures and extensive brown marks; wings light yellow except dark spots at apical margins of fore wings.

Female. Body length 10.1–12.7 mm (holotype: 12.3 mm); fore wing length 9.8–12.4 mm (holotype: 12.1 mm).

Structure as in Polistes brunus , new species, but differing as follows: POD: OOD = about 1: 1.5; POD about 2 times Od. Gena in lateral view slightly wider than eye ( Fig. 15 ). Inner eye margins in frontal view slightly further apart from each other at vertex than at clypeus. Clypeus in frontal view slightly wider than high ( Fig. 13 ), length of lateral margin of clypeus lying along inner eye margin 0.7 times as long as diameter of antennal socket and the length of malar space. Antenna: flagellomere I 3 times as long as its maximum width.

Body punctures slightly coarser than in P. brunus , especially punctures on frons and mesoscutum much coarser than those on frons and mesoscutum of P. brunus . Dorsal metapleuron with longer and wider striae than in P. brunus .

Colour. Black; following parts yellow: apical margin of clypeus, a faint narrow band along inner eye margin extending from bottom of frons to end of eye emargination; two short and narrow bands at basal margin of metanotum; two longitudinal narrow strips on posterior face of propodeum; valvula; apical band of tergum I (extending laterally toward its base); thin longitudinal stripe on hind coxae; following parts brown to dark brown: head including antenna beneath, pronotum, two large spots on mesepisternum, two oblique bands on mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum, two faint marks on tergum I, a band at apical margin of terga V–VI, stripe on outer side of all tibiae and femora and all tarsi.

Male. Body length 10.7 mm– 11.5 mm; fore wing length 10.5 mm– 11.3 mm.

Similar to female, but differing as follows: head about 1.2 times as wide as high in frontal view ( Fig. 17 ); eye strongly swollen laterally; inner eye margins 1.3 times as far from each other at vertex as at clypeus; gena in lateral view about half as wide as eye; clypeus ( Fig. 17 ) in frontal view slightly wider than high, only slightly produced ventrally, evenly and slightly convex apically, in lateral view weakly convex in dorsal part. Antenna ( Fig. 17 ) more slender than in female; scape about 2.7 times as long as its maximum width; flagellomere I longer than length of flagellomeres II and III combined; flagellomeres II–X longer than wide; terminal flagellomere elongate, slightly curved, about 2.2 times as long as its basal width. Metasomal sternum VII depressed medially, without tubercle.

Body surface sculpture as in female, but clypeus with scattered medium punctures, densely covered with short silver hairs together with long golden bristles, and with a faint longitudinal ridge medially.

Colour and marking pattern similar to females, but more extensively marked with black as follows: apical and basal margins of clypeus, frons, gena except a narrow brown band along eye margin, mandible, mesoscutum entirely, metanotum except two short and narrowed yellow bands at basal margin, tergum I entirely.

Male genitalia. Lamina volsellaris desclerotised and fused with cuspis. Digitus in inner aspect of paramere ( Fig. 18 ) about 3.1 times as long as wide (measured at widest part), distinctly swollen near base, gradually narrowed apically to mid-length, then slightly swollen towards the rounded apex. Aedeagus ( Figs. 19, 20 ): penis valves about 0.6 times as long as basal apodeme, in ventral view narrowest near mid-length, weakly swollen proximally from mid-length then distinctly produced laterally near proximal margin, in lateral view slightly thickened in proximal one fourth and with dorsal margin weakly sinuate, with proximoventral corner produced into obtuse angle ( Fig. 20 ); ventral margins of penis valves finely serrate along entire length.

Nest. Nest#VN-SL-2015-P-02 ( Fig. 21 ) was collected together with six females and six males. The nest was attached to a tree of the genus Boehmeria (family Urticaceae ), at about 1.5 m above the ground, and has 119 cells, with six pupae, without eggs. The structural and morphological characters are as follows: Comb “paper”-like in texture, made mainly of long, fine plant fibers and wasp adult oral secretion, more or less uniformly brownish-grey in cell walls, suboval (about 55 × 40 mm) when viewed from side of cell opening, expanded excentrically from the single terminal petiole, with surface corresponding to cell bottom weakly convex; Petiole single, terminal, attached to the border between bottoms of the first three cells, 4.3 mm long and 1.1 mm × 1.9 mm thick at the mid-length, with thin central core of plant fibers, enlarged strictly with adult oral secretion, blackish brown and lustrous, secretion coat widely expanded on comb back around the petiole and on substrate in thin film; Cells generally arranged in regular rows, hexagonal at open end when surrounded by other cells, with free margins rounded, each cell weakly expanded towards open end, 4.5 mm (range 4.1 mm– 5.9 mm; n=10) wide at open end, 3.5 mm (range 2.6−4.2 mm; n=10) wide at bottom and 15.6 mm (range 14 mm– 17.3 mm; n=10) deep in cells containing pupae or having produced adult, cell wall about 0.2 mm thick; Cocoon cap white, produced beyond rim of cell by 0.5−4.5 mm, slightly domed.

Distribution. Known only from localities in Vietnam listed above.

Etymology. The specific name, communalis , is a Latin adjective, referring to the commonality of the species in Vietnam.

Figures

Figs. 13–21. Polistes communalis, new species. 13–16, female. 13, Head, frontal view; 14, Propodeum, dorsal view; 15, Head & thorax, lateral view; 16, Habitus. 17–20, male. 17, Head, frontal view; 18–20, Genitalia. 18, Inner aspect of paramere with digitus and volsella; 19, 20, Aedeagus (19, Ventral view; 20, Lateral view). Scale bar = 1 mm. 21, Nest.