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 ) bequaertianus Willink, 1954 ( Figs 43, 44 ) Polistes bequaertiana Willink, 1954: 255 , ♂ . Diagnosis. Female. Body black to brown, metasoma completely brown. Wing pigmentation brownish. Relatively small size, maximum 16 mm in total length. Clypeus long than it is wider, 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 rounded, clypeus-eye touching for an extent smaller than width of antennal socket; central region of the gena smaller than the eyes; occipital carina strong; humeri slightly projecting; mesepisternum with short bristles, small and shallow punctation; propodeal concavity and striae absent; 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 and dense bristles, weakly punctate. Male. Similar to the females, except for the metasoma brownish, with terga I and II with apical region yellow. Material examined . 1♀ , 2♂ in total. Paraguay : Porto Bertoni, 1♀ , 2♂ ( IBNP ) . Distribution. Brazil : Rio de Janeiro ; Paraguay ; Argentina .