The genus Polistes Latreille, 1802 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) of Brazil: morphological diagnoses, identification key, and geographical distribution Author Brito, Samanta 0000-0002-0945-6894 Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Manaus, AM, Brazil brito.samanta25@gmail.com Author Oliveira, Marcio L. 0000-0002-3950-1086 Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Manaus, AM, Brazil mlolivei@inpa.gov.br Author Carpenter, James M. 0000-0001-6754-8028 American Museum of Natural History, Division of Invertebrate Zoology, New York, USA carpente@amnh.org Author Somavilla, Alexandre Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Manaus, AM, Brazil text Zootaxa 2024 2024-08-21 5496 4 509 545 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5496.4.3 journal article 302759 10.11646/zootaxa.5496.4.3 f63148cc-bf84-485d-8ef8-561e04d99cb4 1175-5326 13617543 CC25A6CB-0783-4917-BEF7-0F332F6451F5 Polistes ( Epicnemius ) deceptor Schulz, 1905 ( Figs 55, 56 ) Polistes deceptor Schulz, 1905: 119 , ♂ . Diagnosis. Female. Body pigmentation black, no spots.Wings pigmentation yellowish to faintly brown. Intermediate size, about 20 mm in total length. Clypeus slightly wider than long or as long as wide, covered by short bristles at its base becoming long toward the apex, and medium-sized and deep punctures present only in the apical region, apex pointed, clypeus-eye touching for an extent smaller than width of antennal socket; gena width at midlength equal to or slightly wider than eye; occipital carina strong, extending through entire gena; humeri slightly projecting; mesepisternum with short and dense bristles, punctation small and shallow; propodeal concavity widely extended in the center, propodeal striae absent; tergum I longer than wide, short and dense bristles, and weak, small, and shallow punctures; tergum II wider or as wide as long, short and dense bristles, weakly punctate. Male. Similar to the females, except for the contact between the clypeus and the eye, for a width equal to or greater than the diameter of the antennal socket; propodeal area with weak striae in center. Material examined . 5♀ , 1♂ in total. Brazil : Amazonas , 1♀ ( MNHN ) , 1♀ [ Paratype ] ( NHM ); Mato Grosso , 1♀ [ Holotype ] ( NHM ); Rio Grande do Sul , 2♀ ( CESC ). Colombia : Putomayo , 1♂ ( NHM ) . Distribution. Brazil : Amapá , Amazonas, Mato Grosso , Pará, Rio Grande do Sul , São Paulo ; Costa Rica ; Panama ; Colombia ; Guyana ; Suriname ; Ecuador ; Peru ; Bolivia ; Paraguay ; Argentina .