Apoica pallens
| Apoica pallens | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Superfamily: | Vespoidea |
| Family: | Vespidae |
| Subfamily: | Polistinae |
| Genus: | Apoica |
| Species: | A. pallens |
| Binomial name | |
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Apoica pallens (Fabricius, 1804) |
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The Central American Paper Wasp (Apoica pallens) is a nocturnal eusocial wasp (family Vespidae). It is famous for its swarm based emigration behavior, and is native to the lowlands of central and northern South America. This species has developed special night vision adaptations to facilitate their night-time swarming and forging behavior and has important medicinal properties for the Pankarare ́ people of Brazil.
Apoica pallens is part of the tribe Epiponini, a group including paper wasps found in neotropical regions.Apoica is one of the basal genera in the tribe.The species is most closely related to Apoica flavissima. It is a nocturnal genus of the Vespidae family. Apoica pallens was classified by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1804. Fabricius also identified another species of wasp in the same super family of Apoica pallens this wasp was named Polybia rejecta.
Apoica pallens is pale yellow in color. Like other species found within the Epiponini, there is morphological caste differentiation between workers and queens. In Apoica pallens, queens and workers are usually about the same total size, but queens tend to be smaller than workers anteriorly and significantly larger posteriorly. This differentiation is thought to be the result of differences in ovary development.
Nests of Apoica have no enclosing envelope and are composed of a single comb that hangs under the branch. The large nests have a distinctive appearance similar to a straw hat or basket.
Apoica pallens populations are native to the lowlands of Central and northern South America. Generally, they are found in areas of tropical savanna, semi deciduous tropical dry forest, gallery forest, and marsh land.Apoica is one of the prominent genera of the New World Tropics, and is rather abundant.
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