Polistes (Epicnemius) deceptor Schulz, 1905

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 : 528

Polistes (Epicnemius) deceptor Schulz, 1905

( Figs 55, 56 )

Polistes deceptor Schulz, 1905: 119 , ♂.

Diagnosis. Female. Body pigmentation black, no spots.Wings pigmentation yellowish to faintly brown. Intermediate size, about 20 mm in total length. Clypeus slightly wider than long or as long as wide, 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 pointed, 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, punctation small and shallow; propodeal concavity widely extended in the center, propodeal striae absent; tergum I longer than wide, short and dense bristles, and weak, small, and shallow punctures; tergum II wider or as wide as long, short and dense bristles, weakly punctate. Male. Similar to the females, except for the contact between the clypeus and the eye, for a width equal to or greater than the diameter of the antennal socket; propodeal area with weak striae in center.

Material examined. 5♀, 1♂ in total. Brazil: Amazonas , 1♀ ( MNHN) , 1♀ [Paratype] ( NHM); Mato Grosso , 1♀ [Holotype] ( NHM); Rio Grande do Sul , 2♀ ( CESC). Colombia: Putomayo , 1♂ ( NHM) .

Distribution. Brazil: Amapá, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo; Costa Rica; Panama; Colombia; Guyana; Suriname; Ecuador; Peru; Bolivia; Paraguay; Argentina.

Figures

FIGURES 53–60. Polistes spp. 53, 54. P. (Epicnemius) davillae Richards. 55, 56. P. (E.) deceptor Schulz. 57, 58. P. (E.) geminatus Fox. 59, 60. P. (E.) melanosoma de Saussure. 53, 55, 57, 59. Dorsal view. 54, 56, 58, 60. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.