Protopolybia exigua

Key to the species of the Protopolybia exigua species-group

1. Cuticle very shiny, vitreous (Fig. 57); frons, mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum and mesopleuron with fine punctures (Fig. 53); metanotum triangular with apex sharply pointed (Fig. 55); species yellow with testaceous marks....................................................................................................... P. holoxantha (Ducke)

- Cuticle dull; body mostly finely reticulated, without fine punctures.............................................. 2

2. Propodeum with dorsal surface markedly projecting symmetrically at either side of the median groove, forming two moder-

ately high protuberances................................................................................ 3 - Propodeum with dorsal surface gently convex around median furrow, not with protuberant aspect...................... 5

3. T1 with petiole armed with pair of lateral obtuse wing-like processes; clypeus relatively wide (HClp/MiWClp=1.17) with apex narrowly subtruncated (Fig. 47); posterior portion of ventral process of aedeagus with small pointed projection (Fig. 87)............................................................................................ P. similis sp. nov.

- T1 without lateral wing-like processes................................................................... 4

4. Ground color brown or black, richly marked with yellow spots; T1 longer its apical width; male genitalia with median lobes of aedeagus pointing laterally and strongly sclerotized.............................. P. bituberculata Silveira & Carpenter

- Ground color yellow, with testaceous marks; T1 with petiole short; clypeus about as high as wide (HClp/MiWClp=1); metanotum short with apex rounded...................................................... P. chanchamayensis Bequaert

5. Occipital carina extending to insertion of mandibles; clypeus high and narrow (HClp/MiWClp=1.26), with ventral margin narrowly subtruncated; ground color black with narrow yellow stripe on T1....................... P. minutissima (Spinola)

- Occipital carina not reaching mandible insertion, extending for 3/4 of height of gena; color variable................... 6

6. T1 with petiole armed with pair of well-prominent lateral wing-like processes..................................... 7

- T1 without paired lateral wing-like pointed processes........................................................ 8

7. Clypeus narrow (HClp/MiWClp=1) with ventral margin narrowly subtruncated; metanotum short with apex pointed; ground color black, scutellum and metanotum yellow; nest without envelope........................... P. scutellaris Bequaert

- Clypeus with ventral margin broadly curved; ground color black or dark brown richly marked with yellow, but scutellum and metanotum only partially marked with yellow; nest with envelope................................. P. aliciae Silveira

8. Pronotal prominence almost collinear with fovea and pronotal carina (Figs. 43 and 44); mesoscutum black............... 9

- Pronotal prominence well separated from fovea and pronotal carina; color of mesoscutum variable.................... 10

9. Clypeus high and narrow (HClp/MiWClp = 1.24), with ventral margin broadly curved and little produced ventrally (Fig. 42); T2 only with posterior yellow band (Fig. 46).................................................... P. clypeata sp. nov.

- Clypeus wider (HClp/MiWClp = 1.12), with ventral margin narrowly subtruncated and moderately produced (Fig. 41); mesoscutum rarely with yellow stripes; scutellum yellow; metanotum anteriorly yellow (Fig. 45)... P. collombiana sp. nov.

10. Pronotal carina obtuse and remarkably produced backwards (Fig. 56); color predominantly dark brown, pronotum and mesoscutum reddish (Fig. 58)......................................................... P. rubrithorax Beaquaert

- Pronotal carina less produced backwards, species black, brown or testaceous, richly marked with yellow; mesoscutum with two yellow stripes................................................................................... 11

11. T1 with petiole slender, relatively more elongated (Fig. 40); body brown to black, with yellow marks; vertex black, rarely with two yellow spots; T2 with anterior and posterior yellow bands; T4–T6 black (Fig. 38)................. P. diligens (Smith)

- T1 nearly as long as wide (Fig. 39)...................................................................... 12

12. Frons with trilobate spot (Fig. 35); vertex with two large non-oblique yellow spots (Fig. 37); T2 with basal band or oblique subcontiguous spots, and distal band (Fig. 37)............................................ P. e x i g u a (de Saussure)

- Coloration testaceous, richly marked with yellow (Fig. 50); frons almost completely and vertex totally, yellow (Fig. 48); length of fore wing 4.3 mm ................................................................... P. potiguara sp. nov.