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 10.11646/zootaxa.5496.4.3 1175-5326 CC25A6CB-0783-4917-BEF7-0F332F6451F5 Polistes ( Epicnemius ) atrox Richards, 1978 (Figs 41, 42) Polistes atrox Richards, 1978: 529 (key), 542, ♂ . Diagnosis. Male. Body dark brown. The metasoma lighter than the rest of the body. Wing pigmentation hyaline and matte. Relatively small size, maximum 15 mm in total length. Clypeus longer than wide, covered by short bristles, punctures unviewed; gena width at midlength equal to or slightly wider than eye, apex pointed, clypeus-eye touching for an extent equal to or greater than width of antennal socket; occipital carina strong, extending through entire gena; humeri slightly projecting; mesepisternum with short and dense bristles, with small and shallow punctation; propodeal concavity widely extended in the center, propodeal striae absent; tergum I longer than wide, with short and dense bristles, punctures weak, small and shallow; tergum II wider or as wide as long, bristles short and dense, weakly punctate. Female. Unknown. Material examined . 1♂ in total. Brazil : Pará, ♂ [ Holotype ] ( NHM ) . Distribution. Brazil : Pará. FIGURES 37–44 . Polistes spp. 37, 38. P. ( Epicnemius ) actaeon Haliday. 39, 40. P. ( E. ) angulinus Richards. 41, 42. P. ( E. ) atrox Richards. 43, 44. P. ( E. ) bequaertianus Willink. 37, 39, 41, 43. Dorsal view. 38, 40, 42, 44. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm .