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 ) claripennis Ducke, 1904 (Figs 51, 52) Polistes claripennis Ducke, 1904: 366 (key), 370, ♀ . Diagnosis. Female. Body pigmentation light brown, with extensive yellow markings on the mesosoma. Wing pigmentation hyaline and matte. 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 with medium-sized and deep punctures present only in the apical region, apex pointed, clypeus-eye touching for an extent equal to or greater 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; dorsal groove incomplete; mesepisternum with short and dense bristles, punctation small and shallow; propodeal concavity only in the center, propodeal striae absent; tergum I longer than wide, with short and dense bristles, and strong, medium sized, and deep punctures; tergum II wider than or as wide as long, with short and dense bristles, and strong punctures. Male. Similar to the females, except for the general body pigmentation reddish brown, central region of the gena, which is smaller in width than the eye and the propodeal area with striae, strong in the center and evanescent laterally. Material examined . 6♀ , 2♂ in total. Brazil : Amazonas, ♂ [ Lectotype ] ( MNHN ) , 5♀ ( INPA ) , 1♀ , 1♂ ( MZSP ) . Distribution. Brazil : Amazonas, Distrito Federal, Pará; Colombia ; Peru ; Bolivia . FIGURES 45–52 . Polistes spp. 45, 46. P. ( Epicnemius ) bicolor Lepeletier. 47, 48. P. ( E. ) billardieri (Fabricius) . 49, 50. P. ( E. ) cinerascens de Saussure. 51, 52. P. ( E. ) claripennis Ducke. 45, 47, 49, 51. Dorsal view. 46, 48, 50, 52. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm .