External Morphology of Immatures of Mischocyttarus nomurae Richards (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) during the Post-embryonic Development

Abstract

The work on this paper aimed to perform the description of the immatures and determine the number of larval instars in the post-embryonic development of Mischocyttarus nomurae Richards, a social wasp which the only works performed were the description of the specie and of the male.  Twenty colonies were collected in the city of Rio de Contas, in the region of the Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil and there were dimensioned 145 eggs, 349 larvae, 12 pre-pupae and 59 pupae. The eggs presented an average length of 1.03 ± 0.12mm and diameter of 0.40 ± 0.03mm. The average rate of growth of the larvae that presented five instars was 1.49. The width of the cephalic capsule of the larvae was: 1st instar 0.32 ± 0.08, 2nd instar 0.54 ± 0.06, 3rd instar 0.77 ± 0.07, 4th  instar 1.05 ± 0.10 and 5th instar 1.55 ± 0.07. The average width of the larvae of 5th instar and pre-pupae were close, where larvae of the 1st instar differed from the egg, being smaller. The average measure of the pupae was 1.85 ± 0.08. The specie presents two abdominal lobes highly projected towards and the first thoracic spiracle is 3.1 times higher than the second one. This is the first work on the biology of the specie.