Zethus brasiliensis de Saussure, 1852

Golfetti, Ivan F., Lopes, Rogério B. & Noll, Fernando B., 2020, Taxonomic revision and cladistic analysis of the species of Zethus mexicanus group (Linnaeus, 1758) sensu Bohart & Stange, 1965 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Eumeninae), Zootaxa 4743 (3), pp. 337-358 : 346-347

Zethus brasiliensis de Saussure, 1852

Zethus brasiliensis de Saussure, 1852: 10 (Holotype female). Sant Catharina (“St. Catherine”), Brazil (Paris); 1855: 115 (male; genus Zethus ). Smith, 1857: 10 (catalogue).

Type: Holotype: Brazil: Santa Catharina , female, Paris ( MNHN). Examined.

Zethus coeruleopennis var. brasiliensis de Saussure, 1858: 63 . Dalla Torre, 1894: 1 (male; caeruleopennis [!]; catalogue); 1904: 15 (caeruleipennis; catalogue). Cameron, 1912: 224 (caeruleopennis; Trinidad).

Zethus mexicanus brasiliensis Zavattari, 1912: 18 (genus Zethus ; Brazil; French Guiana; Bolivia; Colombia; Paraguay).

Zethus brasiliensis brasiliensis Bohart & Stange, 1965: 128 (male; subgenus Zethusculus ; Brazil; Paraguay; northern Argentina). Hermes & Kohler, 2004: 73 (key), 85 ( Brazil: Santa Cruz do Sul—RS). Somavila et. all, 2010: 260 ( Brazil: Arroio do Tigre, Campo Bom, Iraí, Santa Cruz do Sul—RS). stat. rev.

Zethus brasiliensis fuscatus Bohart & Stange, 1965: 16 , 128 (key), (male, female, subgenus Zethusculus ) “ Brazil: Benevides, Para” (Holotype male in Pittsburgh); ( Brazil; Colombia; Ecuador; Venezuela; Guiana; Suriname; French Guiana). Stange,

1975: 78, 87, 89, 92 (key), ( Bolivia: Santa Cruz); 1997: 319 ( Venezuela). Calmbacher, 1977: 137 ( México: Nuevo Leon). n. syn.

Type: Holotype: Brazil: Pará , male, USA (Museum Carnegie).

Paratypes: Brazil: Brasília , female, Germain ( ZSM). Examined .

Bahia, female, Paris ( MNHN). Examined.

Colombia: Colombia, male, Paris ( MNHN). Examined.

French Guiana: Gourdonville, male, Paris ( MNHN). Examined.

Zethus brasiliensis panamensis Bohart and Stange, 1965: 128 (key), (male, female, subgenus Zethusculus ) “ Panama: Ancon, Canal Zone” (Holotype male in New York); ( Panama; Colombia). n. syn.

Tipo: Holotype: Panama: Ancon : Canal Zone, male, USA ( AMHN). Examined.

Paratype: Colombia: male, USA ( AMHN). Examined .

Material additional examined: 16♂, 15♀ (Appendix I).

Diagnosis. Tegula regularly convex. Relatively less robust individuals, especially in the petiole. Denser pilosity on the third to seventh tergum in comparison with the other members of the group Zethus mexicanus .

Redescription. Male: Coloration: Black with reddish areas as follows: at least two-fifths of clypeus; mandibles almost completely; gena until approximately the height of the antennal sockets; antennae yellowish ventrally; wings dark brown, dark violet reflection in the basal portion and clearer at the apex. Structure: Apex of clypeus with a slight concavity between two small teeth; mandible tridentate with the second tooth molariform; humerus rounded; tegula with posterior margin rounded; T1 with pre-apical pit; T2 shorter than T1; S5 with small ligulate process; S6 with ligulate process greater than found in the S5. Sculpture: Clypeus with macro-punctures interspersed by micropunctures; frons striato-punctuated; humeral region striate; the anterior area of the mesepisternum without macropunctures and slightly striated; scutum with macro-punctures more sparse; metanotum with minor macro-punctures or even absent; propodeal lateral carina incomplete, present only for a short distance dorsally; propodeum without macro-punctures and with transverse stripes on the posterior face; petiole with dense macro-punctuated; T1 and T2 with greater density of macro-punctation apically, having a gradual growth of this density from the base to the apex; T3 to T7 and S3 to S7 with macro-punctuated in the post-gradular region and micro-punctuated in the pre-gradular region. Chaeototaxy: Short, thick and yellowish-white; mesipsternum, ventral region of the coxae,ventral part of the trochanter, femur, tibia and tarsus with long and dense hair; metanotum and propodeum with erect, long and sparse hair; petiole with erect and sparse hair at the base; T3 to T7 with shorter hair and almost absent; S2 to S7 with long and thick hair, especially in the apical region.

Female: As in male, except the following parts: Coloration: At least two-thirds of the clypeus reddish; antennae dark. Structure: Clypeus without concavity, with apical teeth evident and with a small median projection; mandible tetradentated with the third tooth molariform; S5 and S6 without ligulate processes. Sculpture: Interantennal region less strio-punctuated; interantennal transverse carina absent; T2 with dense micro punctures apically and macropunctures less evident. Chaeototaxy: Less dense overall, S2 to S6, the hair is short and dense with rows of longer bristles on the posterior margin of S2 to S5.

Variations: Specimens, both males as females, feature color variation in reduction of reddish areas or even the complete absence of these. This gradient of coloration was used for the differentiation of the subspecies Z. b. brasiliensis , Z. b. fuscatus and Z. b. panamensis. Male specimens also may not present the ligulate processes on S5.