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 ) niger Brèthes, 1903 ( Figs 61, 62 ) Polistes niger Brèthes, 1903: 20 , ♀ . Diagnosis. Female. Body pigmentation fully black, there may be brownish-yellow reduced marks on the scutellum and metanotum. Wings pigmentation dark brown to black. Intermediate size, about 18 mm in total length. Clypeus long than it is wider, with long bristles located only in the inferior region, and medium-sized and deep punctures present only in the apical region, apex rounded, 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, small and shallow punctation; propodeal concavity only in the center, propodeal striae absent; tergum I longer than wide, with short and dense bristles, weak, small and shallow punctures; tergum II wider than or as wide as long, short and dense bristles, strong punctures. Male. Similar to the females, except that the clypeus is longer than it is wide, with a pointed apex, wing pigmentation weakly brown. Material examined . 6♀ , 1♂ in total. Brazil : Mato Grosso , 4♀ ( NHM ); São Paulo , 1♀ , 1♂ ( AMNH ) , 1♀ ( MCZ ) . Distribution. Brazil : Mato Grosso , Minas Gerais , São Paulo ; Bolivia .