Polistes (Epicnemius) obscurus de Saussure, 1863

Brito, Samanta, Oliveira, Marcio L., Carpenter, James M. & Somavilla, Alexandre, 2024, The genus Polistes Latreille, 1802 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) of Brazil: morphological diagnoses, identification key, and geographical distribution, Zootaxa 5496 (4), pp. 509-545 : 531

Polistes (Epicnemius) obscurus de Saussure, 1863

( Figs 63, 64 )

Polistes obscurus de Saussure, 1863: 236 , ♀, ♂.

Diagnosis. Female. Body pigmentation dark brown to black, and the apex of the clearer terga. Wings pigmentation yellow to weakly brown. Intermediate size, about 18 mm in total length. Clypeus long than it is wider, covered by short bristles at its base becoming long toward the apex, and medium-sized and deep punctures present only in the apical region, apex rounded, clypeus-eye touching for an extent smaller than width of antennal socket; central region of the gena smaller than the eyes; occipital carina strong; humeri slightly projecting; mesepisternum with short bristles, small and shallow punctation; propodeal concavity and striae absent; 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, short and dense bristles, weakly punctate. Male. Similar to females, except for clypeus with pointed apex.

Material examined. 2♀, 1♂ in total. Paraguay: Porto Bertoni, 2♀, 1♂ ( IBNP) .

Distribution. Brazil: Paraná; Paraguay; Argentina.

Figures

FIGURES 61–68. Polistes spp. 61, 62. P. (Epicnemius) niger Brèthes. 63, 64. P. (E.) obscurus de Saussure. 65, 66. P. (E.) occipitalis Ducke. 67, 68. P. (E.) orlandoi Somavilla & Carpenter. 61, 63, 65, 67. Dorsal view. 62, 64, 66, 68. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.