Apoica flavissima
| Apoica flavissima | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Vespidae |
| Genus: | Apoica |
| Species: | A. flavissima |
| Binomial name | |
|
Apoica flavissima (Van der Vecht, 1972) |
|
Apocia flavissima is a paper wasp found primarily in South America. The species is distinguishable by its light coloring, unique single comb nests, and nocturnal nature. A notable feature of this species is the size dimorphism between queens and workers. Unlike most Vespidae wasps, Apocia flavissima queens are smaller than their worker counterparts which results in unique intraspecies relationships.
Originally, Apoica flavissima was thought to be a variety of Apoica pallida because of similar color and physical characteristics. It wasn't until 1972 that J. Van Der Vecht identified that three distinct species were mistakenly being categorized as one. Today,A. pallens, A. flavissima, and A. gelida are identified by differences in male genitalia. In addition, distinction can be made through slight color differences. While A. flavissima are entirely pale yellow, A. pallens are mostly yellow but have brown legs. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that Apoica flavissima are most closely related to Apoica pallens.
A. flavissima typically have a mesoscutum (the middle thoracic segment of the insect) that is dark yellow with outstanding bristles. The gaster (the enlarged posterior of the abdomen) is pale yellow along with the humeral plate. The posterior ocelli of the species are widely separated from the eyes. In addition, the wing length is typically 15.5–19 millimetres (0.61–0.75 in). Colonies of A. flavissima can be identified morphologically by having smaller queens than workers.
Unlike most wasp species, A flavissima exhibit a morphological caste difference in which the queen is smaller than workers in overall size and in other notable measurements. Specifically, workers have larger alitrunk length and number of hamuli. In addition to being smaller, the queens also exhibit color differences from the workers. Queens typically have a darker brown frons, clypeus, and mandible, while workers exhibit a light yellow coloring. Workers typically have a dark brown coloring of the basal half of the first gastral tergite while queens are typically light yellow. The most striking morphological difference between queens and workers relates to the lateral tip of the pronotum. Queens exhibit a tip that is gradually rounded while workers have a more acutely curved tip.
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Wikipedia