Polistes (Aphanilopterus) infuscatus 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 : 517

Polistes (Aphanilopterus) infuscatus Lepeletier, 1836

( Figs 23, 24 )

Polistes infuscata Lepeletier, 1836: 520 , ♀.

Diagnosis. Female. Body pigmentation dark brown, usually with a head lighter than the body. Wings pigmentation reddish to brown. Intermediate size, usually more than 20 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 punctures medium-sized, deep present only in the apical region; gena width at midlength equal to or slightly wider than eye; occipital carina strong, extending to eye level; humeri not projecting; mesepisternum with short and dense bristles, medium and deep punctation; propodeal concavity widely extended in the center, propodeal striae strong in the center and weak on the sides; tergum I longer than wide with short and dense bristles, and strong, medium sized, and deep punctures; tergum II wider than or as wide as long, short, and dense bristles, strong punctures. Male. Similar to females, except for contact between clypeus and eye with a width equal to or less than the diameter of the antennal socket, clypeus longer than wide, with a pointed apex, clypeus with medium bristles only on the lower region, central region of the gena with width smaller than the eye.

Material examined. 10♀, 1♂ in total. Brazil: Pará, 1♀ ( MZSP) , 7♀, 1♂ ( NHM) , 1♀ [Paralectotype] ( NHM) , 1♀ ( ZSM) .

Distribution. Brazil: Goiás, Pará, Rio de Janeiro; Costa Rica; Panama; Trinidad; Colombia; Venezuela; Guyana; Suriname; French Guiana; Ecuador; Peru.

Comments. There are five subspecies. Only the nominotypical is found in Brazil: P. infuscatus infuscatus Lepeletier.

Figures

FIGURES 19–28. Polistes spp. 19, 20. P. (Aphanilopterus) ferreri de Saussure. 21, 22. P. (A.) goeldii Ducke. 23, 24. P. (A.) infuscatus Lepeletier. 25, 26. P. (A.) lanio (Fabricius). 27, 28. P. (A.) notatipes Richards. 19, 21, 23, 25, 27. Dorsal view. 20, 22, 24, 26, 28. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.