Aphanilopterus Meunier, 1888

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 : 510-511

The subgenus Aphanilopterus Meunier, 1888

Aphanilopterus Meunier, 1888: 302, ♀, ♂

Type species. Aphanilopterus vagabundus Meunier, 1888 [= Vespa lanio Fabricius, 1775 ], by monotypy.

Diagnosis (Based on Richards 1973 and Somavilla et al. 2021b). Body of moderate to large size, 10–25 mm in length, some species large, 30 mm in length. Species with varying pigmentation: totally dark brown or black to yellowish, or with extensive yellow or reddish spots. Malar space transverse. Clypeus in female touching eyes for an extent equal or greater than diameter of antennal socket; in males usually touching eyes. Pronotal fovea present but somewhat reduced in some species. Epicnemial carina completely absent. Mesepisternal dorsal groove in some cases conspicuous but complete. Propodeal striae varied, sometimes weak, stronger only on central concavity, sometimes strong and extending to propodeal margin. Tergum I, in dorsal view, conical, gradually widened in lateral view. Last sternum in male without tubercles. Male genitalia with aedeagus slender, teeth on the apical portion reduced, sometimes medium sized; penis valve dilated and nonbilobed or weakly bilobed, digitus with developed apical process and rounded anteroventral lobe.

Species included. 52 species, of them 18 in Brazil.

Distribution. Neotropics and Nearctic.