A new species of the paper wasp genus Polistes (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae) in Europe revealed by morphometrics and molecular analyses

Abstract

We combine multivariate ratio analysis (MRA) of body measurements and analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear data to examine the status of several species of European paper wasps (Polistes Latreille, 1802) closely related to P. gallicus. Our analyses unambiguously reveal the presence of a cryptic species in Europe, as two distinct species can be recognized in what has hitherto been considered Polistes bischoffi Weyrauch, 1937. One species is almost as light coloured as P. gallicus, and is mainly recorded from Southern Europe and Western Asia. The other species is darker and has a more northern distribution in Central Europe. Both species occur syntopically in Switzerland. Given that the lost lectotype of P. bischoffi originated from Sardinia, we selected a female of the southern species as a neotype. The northern species is described as P. helveticus sp. n. here. We also provide a redescription of P. bischoffi rev. stat. and an identification key including three more closely related species, P. biglumis, P. gallicus and P. hellenicus.

Revision of the West Palaearctic Polistes Latreille, with the descriptions of two species – an integrative approach using morphology and DNA barcodes (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

“…– Mixed type series, see Neumeyer et al (2014). Most citations of P. bischoffi from Central Europe refer to P. albellus.…”

“…Polistes albellus was confused with P. bischoffi before Neumeyer et al (2014) clarified the status of the latter by designating a neotype. He re-described the former under the new name P. helveticus .…”

“…Moreover, the comparatively small colony size of Polistes species and their exposed nests facilitate both field observations and experiments (e.g., Cervo et al 2008). Currently, over 220 species are recognized worldwide (Arens 2011, Buck et al 2012, Nugroho et al 2012), 11 of which occur in Europe (Neumeyer et al 2014, Castro et al 2013). Three of them, P. atrimandibularis , P. austroccidentalis sp.…”

“…The taxonomy of the P. gallicus species group has been notoriously difficult (see, for example Guiglia 1972, Arens 2011, Neumeyer et al 2014, 2015). In the present study, an attempt was made to clarify the taxonomic status of all Polistes species of the West Palaearctic region, including a list of all available names of the genus, and to provide a key to species.…”

“…The morphological data are supplemented with published data (Neumeyer et al 2014, 2015) and unpublished sources, the latter kindly provided from Aleksandar Ćetković (Belgrade) to Kees van Achterberg.…”