Polistes maroccanus Schmid-Egger

Schmid-Egger, Christian, Achterberg, Kees van, Neumeyer, Rainer, Jerome Moriniere, & Schmidt, Stefan, 2017, Revision of the West Palaearctic Polistes Latreille, with the descriptions of two species an integrative approach using morphology and DNA barcodes (Hymenoptera, Vespidae), ZooKeys 713, pp. 53-112 : 92-93

Polistes maroccanus Schmid-Egger sp. n. Figs 16, 46 49, 50 56

Type specimens.

Holotype+, Morocco, Haut Atlas, 2 km N Tizi n Tichka, 31.289°N, 7.381°W, 2150 m 13.vi.2014, (leg. Schmid-Egger, voucher ID: BC ZSM HYM 22043, ZSM). Specimen with right antenna and right fore leg missing. Paratypes: 1+, Ifrane env. 9.v.1997, (leg. Denes jun., coll. OLL). 1+ (RN0664), Asni (1250 m), 3-11 vii 1934 (A. Ball leg., ETHZ).

Diagnosis.

Polistes maroccanus sp. n. is close to P. atrimandibularis and can be distinguished by the characters given in Table 2.

Description.

FEMALE. Holotype, body length 14 mm; fore wing length 11.5 mm.

For colour pattern see figures.

Head. Mandible with a large depression on its outer face; both ridges of mandible narrow, medially 0.15 times as wide as mandibular diameter, remaining space shiny, with a few large punctures on upper third; malar space 1.5 times POL. Clypeus slightly wider than long (length/width ratio 0.92 in holotype, 0.86 in paratype).

Mesosoma. Posterior half of pronotum obliquely rugose and with short pubescence, only medio-anteriorly with longer setae; change in sculpture between mesepisternum and epicnemium abrupt (= epicnemial ridge distinct), mesepisternum densely rugulose and epicnemium only superficially micro-sculptured; propodeum coarsely transversely striate. fore wing including pterostigma and veins reddish brown.

Variations . Body length of paratypes similar to holotype. Left mandible of one paratype with small yellow spot, and clypeus all yellow in one paratype.

Distribution.

Only known from the High and Middle Atlas Mountains in Morocco. Previous to this study, CSE identified a female from Quirgane (High Atlas, 22.v.1995, leg. et coll. M. Hauser) as P. atrimandibularis . It is probably referable to P. maroccanus as well but the specimen was not available for re-examination.

Biology.

The species is most probably a social parasite. At the type locality, it was collected together with P. dominula that is most probably the host.

Etymology.

Polistes maroccanus is named after the country of origin, Morocco.

Remarks.

DNA barcoding of a specimen from Morocco, formerly identified as P. atrimandibularis , indicated that it belongs to a different species that is close to the previously known social parasites. A detailed morphological examination resulted in some different character states and supports the notion that the Moroccan specimens belong to a new species. The species is morphologically close to P. atrimandibularis and probably replaces it in NW Africa.