Polistes (Fuscopolistes) dorsalis neotropicus Bequaert, 1940

Lohrmann, Volker, Waldren, George C., Reiss, Martin & Engel, Michael S., 2016, An anocellar polistine wasp (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae) from Texas, Zoosystematics and Evolution 92 (2), pp. 251-255 : 251

Polistes (Fuscopolistes) dorsalis neotropicus Bequaert, 1940 Figs 1-4

Material.

♀; USA, TX, Randall Co., Palo Duro Canyon , (34°56 ’37’’ N, 101°39 ’39” W), 21.viii.2008, F. Cliff Camp, G.C. Waldren ( UMB) .

Measurements.

Total body length: 14.0 mm; head width: 3.2 mm; forewing length: 11.5 mm; hind wing length: 8.7 mm; mesoscutal width: 2.4 mm.

Descriptive notes.

The female specimen, which seems to be normal in almost every other respect, shows a remarkably deformed head (Figs 3 , 4 ). Most notably it completely lacks all three external dorsal ocelli. Additionally, the vertex shows a longitudinal median impression, giving the head a heart-like shape when seen from the front. The deepest point of the ocular sinus is shifted upwards and the upper end of the compound eye is slightly elongate mesally. As a result, the upper interorbital distance is much shorter than in normally developed specimens (UID : LID = 0.43 vs. 0.94; compare Figs 3 and 5 ). Finally, the lower inner orbits are rather moderately converging ventrally (α = 11° vs. 25°), and the median keeled groove on the frons is lacking. However, this specimen is perfectly bilaterally symmetrical and shows no other malformations, nor any traces of stylopisation or other parasitic infestation.

Comments.

Polistes dorsalis (Fabricius, 1775) is currently classified into five subspecies and occurs throughout the southern half of the US to Costa Rica ( Buck et al. 2008). Similar specimens from the South Central US, the great majority of which without or with less well-defined mesoscutal stripes, are usually assigned to Polistes dorsalis neotropicus Bequaert, 1940 - a subspecies first described from Honduras. The present specimen belongs to this subspecies as it is currently circumscribed, although it remains to be determined by future work whether Polistes dorsalis neotropicus should be further restricted, perhaps excluding Nearctic occurrences (Matthias Buck pers. comm.).

Figures

Figures 1 - 6. Polistes (Fuscopolistes) dorsalis neotropicus Bequaert, 1940. 1 - 4. Anocellar female from Texas. 1. Habitus in dorsal view. 2. Habitus in lateral view. 3. Head in anterior view. 4. Ocellar area in dorsal view. 5. Normal female from South Carolina; head in anterior view. Abbreviations: LID = Lower interorbital distance; UID = Upper interorbital distance. Photos: 1 - 4. Matthias Haase. 5. Used with permission from Buck et al. (2008), Illustration C 75.4.