Vespidae
EOL Text
Vespidae (Hymenoptera Vespidae 2 spp.) preys on:
Mammalia
Based on studies in:
Costa Rica (Carrion substrate)
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
- L. F. Jiron and V. M. Cartin, 1981. Insect succession in the decomposition of a mammal in Costa Rica. J. New York Entomol. Soc. 89:158-165, from p. 163.
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| Rights holder/Author | Cynthia Sims Parr, Joel Sachs, SPIRE |
| Source | http://spire.umbc.edu/fwc/ |
Vespidae (Hymenoptera Vespidae 2 spp.) is prey of:
Anolis evermanni
Anolis gundlachi
Based on studies in:
Puerto Rico, El Verde (Rainforest)
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
- Waide RB, Reagan WB (eds) (1996) The food web of a tropical rainforest. University of Chicago Press, Chicago
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| Rights holder/Author | Cynthia Sims Parr, Joel Sachs, SPIRE |
| Source | http://spire.umbc.edu/fwc/ |
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) Stats
Specimen Records: 5413
Specimens with Sequences: 4341
Specimens with Barcodes: 4063
Species: 525
Species With Barcodes: 448
Public Records: 1518
Public Species: 245
Public BINs: 238
Collection Sites: world map showing specimen collection locations for Vespidae
The Vespidae are a large (nearly 5,000 species), diverse, cosmopolitan family of wasps, including nearly all the known eusocial wasps (such as Polistes annularis) and many solitary wasps. Each social wasp colony includes a queen and a number of female workers with varying degrees of sterility relative to the queen. In temperate social species, colonies usually only last one year, dying at the onset of winter. New queens and males (drones) are produced towards the end of the summer, and after mating, the queens hibernate over winter in cracks or other sheltered locations. The nests of most species are constructed out of mud, but polistines and vespines use plant fibers, chewed to form a sort of paper (also true of some stenogastrines). Many species are pollen vectors contributing to the pollination of several plants, being potential or even effective pollinators,[1] while others are notable predators of pest insect species.
The subfamilies Polistinae and Vespinae are composed solely of eusocial species, while Eumeninae, Euparagiinae, and Masarinae are all solitary; the Stenogastrinae subfamily contains a variety of forms from solitary to social.
In Polistinae and Vespinae, rather than consuming prey directly, prey are masticated and fed to the larvae, and the larvae, in return, produce a clear liquid (with high amino acid content) which the adults consume; the exact amino acid composition varies considerably among species, but it is considered to contribute substantially to adult nutrition.[2]
Gallery[edit]
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German wasp
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A median wasp nest
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Polistes nest
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Another angle
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Vespa tropica from India
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Dolichovespula media (a European tree wasp) stripping wood from a fence for use in nest construction
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vespidae. |
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| Rights holder/Author | Wikipedia |
| Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vespidae&oldid=614936638 |
Vespidae (Vespid Wasps)
These medium to large wasps may be light brown, reddish brown, or black with yellow markings, especially around the face and on the abdomen. At rest, their wings appear pleated. These wasps exhibit varying degrees of sociality. The Polistes spp. (Paper Wasps) construct only small clusters of brood cells from paper (chewed plant material), while Vespula and Dolichovespula spp. (Yellow Jackets and Hornets) construct large spheroid nests from the same kind of material. These wasps bring back a variety of insects back to the nest (with hornets providing regurgitated food to their larvae). They have a reputation of being aggressive around their hives. There is a subfamily of the Vespidae that consists of solitary wasps, which will be discussed next. Eumeninae (Eumenine Wasps): Eumenine wasps are rather stout, medium-sized, brown with cream or yellow markings. They make mud-lined nests in the ground, or make pot-shaped nests from mud on the twigs of shrubs and small trees, or construct nests in wood cavities. Eumenine wasps attack caterpillars of moths, and carry them back to their nests as a food source for their larvae. Some species also prey on beetle grubs in the ground. Eumenine wasps are also frequent visitors of wildflowers.
- Hilty, J. Editor. 2014. Insect Visitors of Illinois Wildflowers. World Wide Web electronic publication. illinoiswildflowers.info, version (07/2014)
See: Abbreviations for Insect Activities, Abbreviations for Scientific Observers, References for behavioral observations
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| Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
| Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/flower_insects/files/wasps.htm |
Identification Atlas of the Vespidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata) of the northeastern Nearctic region
The Vespidae of the northeastern Nearctic region are reviewed to include 92 established and four adventitious species. Six undescribed species (two each in Ancistrocerus, Euodynerus and Polistes) are recognised for the first time. Three former subspecies, Euodynerus blakeanus Cameron (subspecies of E. foraminatus de Saussure), Ancistrocerus albophaleratus de Saussure (subspecies of A. catskill de Saussure) and A. albolacteus Bequaert (subspecies of A. adiabatus de Saussure) are re-instated as or elevated to good species. Parancistrocerus vogti (Krombein) is synonymized with P. fulvipes (de Saussure). A brief introduction to the morphology, biology and distribution of Vespidae is given. Keys to subfamilies, genera and species are provided, and illustrated with 60 photographic plates (437 images) showing most diagnostic characters. All species are illustrated on 287 separate plates by means of (i) a set of standard photographs of pinned specimens (habitus lateral and dorsal, head of male and female; 537 images), and, where available, (ii) photographs of live specimens in the field (99 images). The variation (especially colour) of most species is described in detail and supplemented with brief information on distribution and biology. Twenty-two species (including five adventitious species) are recorded for the first time from Canada and numerous new state records for the U.S. are given. Euodynerus blakeanus, a taxon previously known only from Texas, is recorded for the first time from the northeastern Nearctic (New Jersey, Maryland, West Virginia) and several midwestern and southeastern states (Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina). The occurrence of E. pratensis in the northeast (recorded from Ontario) is considered doubtful. New data on the nest sites of ten Eumeninae species is provided (Ancistrocerus albophaleratus, A. catskill, A. unifasciatus, Eumenes verticalis, Euodynerus auranus, E. planitarsis, Parancistrocerus leionotus, Parazumia symmorpha, Stenodynerus anormis, S. kennicottianus). Morphological and other scientific terms are explained in an appendix.
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| Rights holder/Author | Bob Corrigan, Bob Corrigan |
| Source | http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/bsc/ejournal/bmc_05/bmc_05.html |
Animal / associate
larva of Amobia signata is associated with nest of Vespidae
Animal / associate
larva of Macronychia griseola is associated with nest of Vespidae
Animal / associate
larva of Macronychia polyodon is associated with nest of Vespidae
Animal / associate
larva of Volucella is associated with nest of Vespidae
Animal / parasite / ectoparasite
larva of Volucella inanis ectoparasitises larva of Vespidae
Other: sole host/prey
Animal / associate
larva of Volucella zonaria is associated with nest of Vespidae
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| Rights holder/Author | BioImages, BioImages - the Virtual Fieldguide (UK) |
| Source | http://www.bioimages.org.uk/html/Vespidae.htm |