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 ( Aphanilopterus ) simillimus Zikán, 1951 (Figs 33, 34) Polistes simillimus Zikán, 1951: 232 , ♀ , ♂ . Diagnosis. Female. Body pigmentation reddish brown, with yellow spots on the body, two parallel stripes on the propodeal area and two parallel yellow dots on tergum I and II. Wings pigmentation hyaline and matte. Intermediate size, about 18 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 deep punctures present only in the apical region, apex rounded, 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; humeri not projecting; mesepisternum with short bristles small and shallow punctation; propodeal concavity widely extended in the center, propodeal striae strong in the center and weak on the sides; tergum I longer than wide, with short and dense bristles and strong, medium sized, and deep punctures; tergum II wider or as wide as long; short bristles, strong punctures. Male. Similar to the females, except gena less wide than the eyes, occipital carina extended through entire gena. Material examined . 35♀ , 9♂ in total. Brazil : Bahia , 4♀ ( MNHN ) , 1♀ ( MZSP ); Goiás , 1♀ ( MNHN ); Mato Grosso , 1♀ ( MNHN ); Minas Gerais , 12♀ , 1♂ ( MNHN ); Rio de Janeiro , 1♀ , 1♂ ( AMNH ) ; 1♀ ( INPA ); Rio Grande do Sul , 1♂ ( AMNH ) , 3♀ , 3♂ ( NHM ) , 4♀ , 1♂ ( CESC ); São Paulo , 1♀ ( AMNH ) , 2♂ ( MZSP ) , 6♀ ( NHM ) . Distribution. Brazil : Bahia , Goiás , Mato Grosso , Mato Grosso do Sul , Minas Gerais , Paraíba , Paraná , Rio de Janeiro , Rio Grande do Sul , Santa Catarina , São Paulo ; Peru ; Bolivia ; Paraguay ; Argentina . FIGURES 29–36 . Polistes spp. 29, 30. P. ( Aphanilopterus ) ridleyi Kirby. 31, 32. P. ( A. ) satan Bequaert. 33, 34. P. ( A. ) simillimus Zikán. 35, 36. P. ( A. ) versicolor (Olivier) . 29, 31, 33, 35. Dorsal view. 30, 32, 34, 36. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm .