Polistes (Epicnemius) bicolor Lepeletier, 1836

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 : 525

Polistes (Epicnemius) bicolor Lepeletier, 1836

( Figs 45, 46 )

Polistes bicolor Lepeletier, 1836: 521 , ♀.

Diagnosis. Female. Body black to brown without yellow spots. Wing pigmentation yellowish to brown or reddish to brown. Big size, about 25 mm in total length. Clypeus slightly wider than long or as long as wide, clypeus-eye touching for an extent smaller than width of antennal socket, apex rounded, clypeus covered by short bristles at its base becoming long toward the apex, and medium-sized and deep punctures, present only in the apical region; 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, with medium and deep punctation; propodeal concavity absent, propodeal striae strong in the center and weak on the sides; tergum I longer than wide, with long and sparse bristles, punctures weak, small, and shallow; tergum II wider or as wide as long, with short and dense bristles, weakly punctate. Male. Similar to the females, except for the clypeus with a pointed apex, longer than wide, clypeus with bristles only in the inferior region, propodeum without striae.

Material examined. 9♀, 6♂ in total. Brazil: Acre , 2♀, 5♂ ( NHM); Amazonas , 1♀ ( INPA) , 1♀ ( NHM); Mato Grosso , 1♀ ( MNHN) , 1♀ ( NHM) ; 1♀ ( MNHN); Minas Gerais , 1♀ [Paralectotype], ♂ [Lectotype] ( MNHN); São Paulo , 1♀ ( MNB) .

Distribution. Brazil: Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Pará; Costa Rica; Panama; Colombia; Venezuela; Suriname; French Guiana; Ecuador; Peru.

Figures

FIGURES 45–52. Polistes spp. 45, 46. P. (Epicnemius) bicolor Lepeletier. 47, 48. P. (E.) billardieri (Fabricius). 49, 50. P. (E.) cinerascens de Saussure. 51, 52. P. (E.) claripennis Ducke. 45, 47, 49, 51. Dorsal view. 46, 48, 50, 52. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.