Revisão taxonômica e análise filogenética do gênero Protopolybia Ducke, 1905 com uso de caracteres morfológicos e moleculares (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae)

Abstract

Polistinae is one of the most diverse subfamilies of Vespidae with about 950 species, 25 genera and four tribes. Their representatives are recognized for presenting simple tarsal claws and lacking parategula. Ducke (1905) described two new genera for Polistinae: Protopolybia and Pseudochartergus. Bequaert (1938) reviewed Pseudochartergus recognizing only two species. Bequaert (1944a) made the first revision of Protopolybia, in which he described four new species, and considered P. minutissima and P. sedula as forms of a single species and assigned P. bella as type species of the genus. Richards (1978) performed the second revision of Protopolybia recognizing 23 species and two subspecies. Carpenter and Wenzel (1989), considering inconsistent the diagnostic characters separating Pseudochartergus and Protopolybia, proposed their synonymy, based on the synapomorphic medial posterior process on the metanotum. Carpenter (2011) proposed the synonymy of four species of the genus. Santos-Junior et al. (2015) reviewed the Protopolybia exigua species-group and using morphological characters proposed the first phylogeny for Protopolybia sensu Carpenter & Wenzel (1989). However, there is still a reasonable number of species whose identification is inaccurate. Thus, this project aims to extend the knowledge of the taxonomy and of phylogenetic relationships of the species of Protopolybia using morphological characters complemented with molecular data. For molecular analysis, fragments were isolated of the nuclear and mitochondrial genome - cytochrome subunit I (COI), 28s, 12s and 16s. Such an effort resulted on additional notes for the Protopolybia exigua species-group, with description of a new species. For the P. sedula species-group, all species are redescribed, a new identification key is presented and the genitalia of P. weyrauchi and P. sedula are described. In the P. picteti-emortualis species-group, two new species are described. In the group of species of P. chartergoides, it is proposed the synonymization of a subspecies, and the four valid species are redescribed, as well as the male genitalia of P. chartergoides, P. fuscatus and P. pallidibalteatus. As for the phylogeny of Protopolybia, the monophyly hypothesis of the group of P. chartergoides species is corroborated. Its relative position within Protopolybia is resolved, indicating a closer relationship with the group of P. sedula. On the other hand, in the present analysis the P. exigua group is paraphyletic.