A systematic review of the Neotropical social wasp genus Angiopolybia Araujo, 1946 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae): species delimitation, morphological diagnosis, and geographical distribution

Abstract

For the Neotropical genus Angiopolybia Araujo 1946, several phenotypic forms were previously described, however, they have not been studied within an integrative taxonomic framework. Here, we used molecular data (variation of two mitochondrial genetic markers with molecular species delimitation methods) and morphology (adult morphology, male genitalia, and scanning electron microscopy images) to test the number of species within Angiopolybia. Specifically, we investigated the taxonomic validity of the morphological variants A. pallens dark morph, A. paraensis morph paraensis, A. paraensis morph ruficornis, and A. paraensis morph obscurior. Moreover, we reviewed the taxonomy and geographic distribution of the genus. Our results of morphological and molecular analyses are compatible with the current classification of Angiopolybia, and we did not find reasons to propose the morphological variants of A. pallens and A. paraensis as valid species. Additionally, we reassess the spatial range of the four Angiopolybia species and provide refined maps of their geographical distributions