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Polistes

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Polistes is a cosmopolitan genus of paper wasps and the only genus in the tribe Polistini. Vernacular names for the genus include umbrella wasps, coined by Walter Ebeling in 1975 to distinguish it from other types of paper wasp, in reference to the form of their nests,[3] and umbrella paper wasps.[4] Polistes is the single largest genus within the family Vespidae, with over 200 recognized species.[5] Their innate preferences for nest-building sites leads them to commonly build nests on human habitation, where they can be very unwelcome; although generally not aggressive, they can be provoked into defending their nests. All species are predatory, and they may consume large numbers of caterpillars, in which respect they are generally considered beneficial.[citation needed]

Polistes
Polistes gallicus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Vespidae
Subfamily: Polistinae
Tribe: Polistini
Genus: Polistes
Latreille, 1802
Type species
Polistes gallicus
Synonyms[2]
  • Eupolistes Dalla Torre, 1904
  • Sulcopolistes Blüthgen, 1938
  • Polistula Weyrauch, 1939
  • Pseudopolistes Weyrauch, 1939
  • Leptopolistes Blüthgen, 1943
P. metricus, female

Description

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As part of subfamily Polistinae, Polistes wasps are covered in short and inconspicuous hair, have a clypeus with a pointed apex, have a gena that is wide throughout, tergum 1 of the metasoma is almost straight to gently arched in profile, the tibia of the mid leg has two spurs, and the legs end in simple tarsal claws. The genus can be distinguished from other Polistinae by a sessile metasoma (the first segment at most slightly longer than wide) and the fourth tarsomeres of the mid and hind legs being symmetrical.[6]

Polistes show sexual dimorphism, with males having seven externally visible metasomal segments whereas females have six. This trait is shared with other vespid wasps.[6]

Polistes species have single-layered nests which are shaped like an umbrella, with the cells exposed to the air from the bottom, and no layer wrapping around the nest. The nests are suspended from a surface by a petiole and are constructed from a paper-like substance made of a mix of saliva and wood fibres chewed off old and soft wood or dead twigs. Many Polistes species in general often have nests supported by a longer petiole than those of Vespula.[3]

Biochemistry

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Similar to many insects, Carlson et al 1998 finds Polistes cuticular hydrocarbons to be predominantly many branched, methyl branched alkanes. The reviews of Nelson 1978, Lockey 1988 and Nelson 1993 concur.[7]

Life cycle

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The general life cycle of Polistes can be divided into four phases:[8]

  1. Founding (or pre-emergence) phase
  2. Worker phase
  3. Reproductive phase
  4. Intermediate phase

Founding (or pre-emergence) phase

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The founding stage begins in the spring when a solitary female (the "foundress") (or a small group of related females) initiates the construction of a nest. The wasps begin by fashioning a petiole, a short stalk which will connect the new nest to a substrate (often the eave of a house or outbuilding), and building a single brood cell at the end of it. Further cells are added laterally in a hexagonal pattern, each cell surrounded by six others. Although nests can achieve impressive sizes, they almost always maintain a basic shape: petiolated (stellocyttarous), single-combed, unprotected, and open (gymnodomous).

Eggs are laid by the foundress directly into the brood cells and are guarded by the foundress and the assisting females (if present). After the first larvae hatch, the foundress feeds them via progressive provisioning, bringing softened caterpillar flesh to the larvae multiple times throughout their development (as opposed to the one-time provisioning seen in some other hymenopteran groups). Each of this first seasonal brood of new paper wasps is exclusively female and destined to a subordinate worker position inside the nest; they do not found their own nests and instead assist their mother in the care and maintenance of future sisters.

Some foundress wasps do not build their own nests, but rather attempt to usurp that of another female. These usurpation attempts may or may not be successful, but almost always result in impressive displays of aggression and violence. Females may also adopt a more peaceful alternative reproduction strategy by joining the nest of a close relative (usually a sister) and working as assisting females. In the latter case, such cofounding females are generally, but not exclusively, close relatives.[8]

Worker phase

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The worker phase usually begins in the early summer, roughly two months after colony initiation, with the emergence of the first workers. These new females take up most of the colony's work duties, foraging, caring for brood, and maintaining the structure of the nest. Around this time, those females which assisted in nest foundation (if present) are driven from the nest by aggressive behavior on the part of the foundress, and leave either to start their own late-season nests or usurp another's.[citation needed]

Reproductive phase

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The reproductive phase of the colony begins when the first female reproductives (the gynes) emerge from their brood cells. These reproductives differ from their worker sisters by having increased levels of fat stores and cryoprotectant carbohydrate compounds (allowing them to survive the overwintering period). These reproductives contribute genes directly to the next generation, while their worker sisters normally pass along their genes indirectly.[citation needed]

Intermediate phase

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Once male reproductives emerge and both males and females disperse from the natal nest for mating flights, the so-called intermediate phase begins. Brood care and foraging behavior decline and worker numbers drop as dying individuals are no longer replaced by new ones. Intracolonial aggression increases and the social cohesion of the nest declines. In temperate Polistes species, individuals (almost exclusively inseminated females) gather in groups of up to 50 individuals and seek a sheltered location (called a hibernaculum) in which to overwinter.[citation needed]

Behavior

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Kin selection

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Main article: Kin selection

The reproductive behavior of Polistes wasps provided some of the first evidence for the mathematical biologist W. D. Hamilton's 1964 theory of kin selection. Hamilton showed that animals such as workers could be expected to provide assistance to relatives such as their queens according to the costs and benefits involved (K) and their degree of genetic relatedness (r), and gave the rule that now carries his name, K > 1/r.[9] Early caution existed among researchers as to whether social insects could really assess their relatedness. Hamilton himself suggested an alternative possibility, namely that kin could become associated simply by "population viscosity" —that offspring tend not to disperse far from their birthplaces— and West-Eberhard (1969) found some evidence for this in Polistes. However, Polistes species are now known to learn and remember chemical signals (hydrocarbons) picked up from the nest to distinguish nestmates accurately from non-relatives.[10]

Dominance hierarchy system

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Morphologically, the foundress and subordinate reproductive members of the colony differ little. However, behavioral differentiation occurs among females both between and within generations. For example, in the species Polistes humilis the queen displays a "tail-wagging" behavior to assert her dominance over the worker class.[11] Similarly, Polistes canadensis also possesses behavioral differentiation between the queen and her nestmates, with the queen often suppressing the aggressive behavior of subordinates through lateral abdominal vibrations and stroking. In contrast, unmated females are not aggressive.[12] In Polistes exclamans queens have different amounts of glucose, fructose, and trehalose which lead to different cryoprotectant levels. This alters their survivability in different temperatures, increasing their odds of reproduction. Females in P. bellicosus are also morphologically similar between caste separations. For example, a P. bellicosus worker could become queen, and egg-layer, if all of the original foundresses die or leave the nest.[13] This is also true for Polistes dorsalis, which also displays dominant behavior. Despite having no distinct morphological caste, roles of P. dorsalis tend to be fixed in a system with division of labor.[14]

Nestmate recognition

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Polistes spp. discriminate colony mates using an acquired (i.e. learned) cue, absorbing hydrocarbons from the natal nest at eclosion.[15] This cuticular hydrocarbon "signature" is derived both from the plant material and the foundress-applied substances from which the nest is made. Studies of Polistes fuscatus have researched the molecular basis of the recognition "pheromone" used by the wasps, and indicate at least some of the recognizable labels have the same chemical constituents as the adult cuticular hydrocarbons. Similar recognition is found in Polistes metricus. [16] Dominant individuals of P. dominula have differing cuticular profiles from workers,[17] and the frequent observations of the dominant female stroking its gaster across the nest surface, combined with its staying on the nest for longer times than subordinates, suggests the dominant individual may contribute more to the nest odor.[citation needed]

P. carolina females do not preferentially feed their own progeny (as larvae).[18]

Further to this recognition of nestmates, Polistes biglumis foundresses discriminate between 'alien' eggs and their own via differential oophagy.[19]

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Species

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203 species were described in the genus by 1996,[5] and new species continue to be described.[20] There are nine species in Europe.[2]

229 species and 125 subspecies are as follows:[21][20][22][23]

Pest status

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Polistes chinensis antennalis, Asian paper wasp has established itself as a pest species in New Zealand.

Along with the German and common wasps, the Asian and Australian paper wasps (P. chinensis and P. humilis) are considered pests in New Zealand. Arriving in 1979,[26] the Asian paper wasp has established itself in both the North Island and the northern parts of the South Island. Because it competes with native species (such as the kaka) for insects, nectar, and honeydew,[27][28] it is a hindrance to conservation efforts.[citation needed]

In North America, the introduced European species Polistes dominula has rapidly colonized a significant area, and is considered an invasive pest.[29][30] It is a concern for cherry and grape growers in British Columbia, as it injures the fruit by biting off the skin. It also spreads yeast and fungi that harm fruit and can be a nuisance to workers and pickers at harvest.[31] There is evidence it has also displaced native paper wasp species by outcompeting them.[32]

Parasites

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Various other insects are parasites or parasitoids of Polistes, including flies (e.g., Sarcophagidae), mantispids, and wasps in the families Torymidae, Mutillidae (rarely), Braconidae, and Ichneumonidae (e.g. Latibulus argiolus). Some more specialized groups are more intimately associated with Polistes; this includes strepsipterans in the family Stylopidae (genus Xenos), wasps of the genus Elasmus (formerly placed in their own family, "Elasmidae"), and wasps in the family Trigonalidae.

The nests of many species of this wasp genus are invaded by the parasitoid caterpillars of the moth Chalcoela iphitalis which feed on the wasp larvae and pupas at night, spinning their cocoons in empty cells.[33][34][35]

Within the subgenus Polistes are four known social obligate parasites: P. atrimandibularis, P. austroccidentalis, P. maroccanus, and P. semenowi, which parasitize other Polistes wasps.[23] Known host species of these parasites are P. dominulus, P. gallicus, P. nimphus, P. associus, and P. biglumis.[36] Although these parasites differ in their host invasion strategies, their end goal is to successfully infiltrate the host nest and reproduce at the host's expense.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ Carpenter, James M. (2008). "Review of Hawaiian Vespidae (Hymenoptera)" (PDF). Occasional Papers of the Bishop Museum. 99: 1–18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Polistes Latreille, 1802". Fauna Europaea. Fauna Europaea Secretariat, Museum für Naturkunde Leibniz & Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  3. ^ a b Ebeling, Walter (1975). "Chapter 9, part 2: Pests Attacking Man and his Pets". Urban Entomology. Berkeley: Division of Agricultural Sciences, University of California (UC Riverside Entomology). ISBN 978-0931876196.
  4. ^ Chakraborti, Suktara (2018). "Linking insect diversity with habitat health at the ecologically restored sites of the Lokkere Reserve Forest, Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Karnataka". JungleScapes (JS-Insects-001). doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.25359.02721.
  5. ^ a b Carpenter, James M. (1996). "Distributional Checklist of Species of the Genus Polistes (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Polistinae, Polistini)". American Museum Novitates (3188): 1–39. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  6. ^ a b Buck, M.; Marshall, S. A.; Cheung, D. K. B. (2008). "Identification Atlas of the Vespidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata) of the northeastern Nearctic region". Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification. 05: 1–492. doi:10.3752/cjai.2008.05.
  7. ^ Dani, Francesca Romana (2006). "Cuticular lipids as semiochemicals in paper wasps and other social insects". Annales Zoologici Fennici. 43 (5/6). Finnish Zoological and Botanical Publishing Board + Ministry of Education and Culture: 500–514. ISSN 0003-455X. JSTOR 23736758. ISSN 1797-2450.
  8. ^ a b Reeve, Hudson K. (1991). "Polistes". In Kenneth G. Ross; Robert W. Mathew (eds.). The Social Biology of Wasps. Cornell University Press. pp. 99–148. ISBN 978-0-8014-9906-7.
  9. ^ Hamilton, W. D. (1964). "The genetical evolution of social behaviour, I & II". Journal of Theoretical Biology. 7 (1): 17–52. Bibcode:1964JThBi...7...17H. doi:10.1016/0022-5193(64)90039-6. PMID 5875340.
  10. ^ West-Eberhard, Mary Jane (10 April 2003). Developmental Plasticity and Evolution. Oxford University Press. p. 447. ISBN 978-0-19-512235-0.
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  12. ^ West-Eberhard, Mary Jane (1986). "Dominance Relations in Polistes canadensis (L.), a Tropical Social Wasp". Monitore Zoologico Italiano. 20: 263–281. doi:10.1080/00269786.1986.10736502 (inactive 1 November 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
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  15. ^ Gamboa, George J.; Grudzien, Thaddeus A.; Espelie, Karl; Bura, Elizabeth A. (1996). "Kin recognition pheromones in social wasps: combining chemical and behavioural evidence" (PDF). Animal Behaviour. 51 (1996): 625–629. doi:10.1006/anbe.1996.0067. S2CID 53170152.[permanent dead link‍]
  16. ^ Singer, T.L.; Espelie, K.E. (1 August 1997). "Exposure to nest paper hydrocarbons is important for nest recognition by a social wasp, Polistes metricus Say (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)". Insectes Sociaux. 44 (3): 245–254. doi:10.1007/s000400050045. ISSN 1420-9098.
  17. ^ Bonavita-Cougourdan, Annie; Theraulaz, Guy; Bagnères, Anne-Geneviève; Roux, Maurice; Pratte, Michel; Provost, Eric; Clément, Jean-Luc (1991). "Cuticular hydrocarbons, social organization and ovarian development in a polistine wasp: Polistes dominulus Christ" (PDF). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Comparative Biochemistry. 100 (4): 667–680. doi:10.1016/0305-0491(91)90272-F. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 January 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  18. ^ Strassmann, J.E.; Seppä, P.; Queller, D.C. (2000). "Absence of within-colony kin discrimination: foundresses of the social wasp, Polistes carolina, do not prefer their own larvae" (PDF). Naturwissenschaften. 87 (6): 266–269. Bibcode:2000NW.....87..266S. doi:10.1007/s001140050718. PMID 10929290. S2CID 12637238. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 September 2006. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  19. ^ Lorenzi, M.C.; Filippone, F. (2000). "Opportunistic discrimination of alien eggs by social wasps (Polistes biglumis, Hymenoptera Vespidae): a defence against social parasitism?". Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 48 (5): 402–406. doi:10.1007/s002650000251. S2CID 31560113.
  20. ^ a b c d e Buck, Matthias; Cobb, T.P.; Stahlhut, J.K.; Hanner, R.H. (1 October 2012). "Unravelling cryptic species diversity in eastern Nearctic paper wasps, Polistes (Fuscopolistes), using male genitalia, morphometrics and DNA barcoding, with descriptions of two new species (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)". Zootaxa. 3502 (1): 1. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3502.1.1.
  21. ^ Carpenter, James M. (2006). Kojima, J. (ed.). "Distributional Checklist of Species of the Genus Polistes (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Polistinae, Polistini)". Natural History Laboratory. Ibaraki University. Archived from the original on 11 January 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  22. ^ a b Neumeyer, Rainer; Baur, Hannes; Guex, Gaston-Denis; Praz, Christophe (2014). "A new species of the paper wasp genus Polistes (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae) in Europe revealed by morphometrics and molecular analyses". ZooKeys (400): 67–118. Bibcode:2014ZooK..400...67N. doi:10.3897/zookeys.400.6611. PMC 4023243. PMID 24843256.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g Schmid-Egger C, van Achterberg K, Neumeyer R, Morinière J, Schmidt S (2017) Revision of the West Palaearctic Polistes Latreille, with the descriptions of two species – an integrative approach using morphology and DNA barcodes (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). ZooKeys 713: 53-112. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.713.11335
  24. ^ a b c Nguyen, Lien Thi Phuong; Vu, Thuong Thi; Lee, John X.Q.; Carpenter, James M (2017). "Taxonomic notes on the Polistes stigma group (Hymenoptera, vespidae: Polistinae) from continental Southeast Asia, with descriptions of three new species and a key to species". The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 65: 269–279. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  25. ^ Castro, Leopoldo; Dvořák, Libor (2009). "New and noteworthy records of vespid wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) from the Palaearctic region (II)". Boletín Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa (44): 295–304. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  26. ^ "Asian Paper Wasp". MAF Biosecurity New Zealand. 18 June 2008. Archived from the original on 17 May 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  27. ^ Clapperton, B. Kay (1999). "Abundance of wasps and prey consumption of paper wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae: Polistinae) in Northland, New Zealand" (PDF). New Zealand Journal of Ecology. 23 (1): 11–19.
  28. ^ Toft, Richard J.; Harris, Richard J. (2004). "Can trapping control Asian paper wasp (Polistes chinensis antennalis) populations?" (PDF). New Zealand Journal of Ecology. 28 (2): 279–282.
  29. ^ Cervo, R; F. Zacchi; S. Turillazzi (May 2000). "Polistes dominulus (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) invading North America: some hypotheses for its rapid spread". Insectes Sociaux. 47 (2): 155–157. doi:10.1007/pl00001694. S2CID 45652070.
  30. ^ Gamboa, G. J.; M. A. Noble; M. C. Thom; J. L. Togal; R. Srinivasan; B. D. Murphy (May 2004). "The comparative biology of two sympatric paper wasps in Michigan, the native Polistes fuscatus and the invasive Polistes dominulus (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)". Insectes Sociaux. 51 (2): 153–157. doi:10.1007/s00040-003-0721-1. S2CID 25888893.
  31. ^ "European Paper Wasp". royalbcmuseum.bc.ca. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  32. ^ Queller, David; Fracesca Zacchi; Ria Cervo; Stefano Turillazzi; Michael Henshaw; Lorenzo Santorelli; Joan Strassmann (15 June 2000). "Unrelated helpers in a social insect". Nature. 405 (6788): 784–787. Bibcode:2000Natur.405..784Q. doi:10.1038/35015552. PMID 10866197. S2CID 4340200.
  33. ^ Krombein, Karl Vorse (1979). "Vespoidea". In Krombein, Karl V.; Hurd, Paul D. Jr.; Smith, David R.; Burks, B. D. (eds.). Catalog of Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico. Vol. 2. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 1510–1516. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.5074.
  34. ^ Madden, A.A.; Davis, M.M.; Sparks, P.T. (2010). "First detailed report of brood parasitoidism in the invasive population of the paper wasp Polistes dominulus (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) in North America" (PDF). Insectes Sociaux. 57 (3): 257–260. doi:10.1007/s00040-010-0079-0. S2CID 33545713.
  35. ^ Litte, Marcia (1979). "Mischocyttarus flavitarsis in Arizona: Social and Nesting Biology of a Polistine Wasp". Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie. 50 (3): 282–312. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.1979.tb01033.x.
  36. ^ Cervo, Rita (29 December 2006). "Polistes wasps and their social parasites: an overview" (PDF). Annales Zool. Fennici. 43: 531–549. Retrieved 13 November 2014.

Further reading

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