Brachygastra lecheguana
| Brachygastra lecheguana | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Suborder: | Apocrita |
| Superfamily: | Vespoidea |
| Family: | Vespidae |
| Subfamily: | Polistinae |
| Tribe: | Epiponini |
| Genus: | Brachygastra |
| Species: | B. lecheguana |
| Binomial name | |
|
Brachygastra lecheguana Latreille, 1824 |
|
Brachygastra lecheguana (Latreille 1824), formerly known as Nectarina lecheguana, is a species of dark paper wasp found across Central and South America. It nests in underbrush in grassland-type environments, and produces honey, characteristic of the genus Brachygastra. Common names include marimbondo-do-campo, marimbondo-do-pasto, marimbondo-exu, marimbondo-de-pote, marimbondo-de-purrão, and avispa-de-pote, among others depending on the location.
B. lecheguana belongs to the Epiponini tribe of Polistinae wasps, sometimes referred to as Polybiinae wasps. It is a Neotropical social wasp species that falls under the genus Brachygastra.
Brachygastra wasps are identified, as noted in Andena & Carpenter (2012), by an anatomical projection over their posterior. The scutellum, metanotum, and propodeum, three of the hymenopteran back structures, combined form a flat, vertical surface in the middle of the body (mesosoma).
B. lecheguana is very closely related to B. mellifica and B. borellii, and indeed some authors suggest that B. lecheguana and B. mellifica can only be differentiated based on where they are found with respect to their reported distribution throughout the Americas. However there are morphological and genetic differences between these species.
Brachygastra lecheguana was first described by Latreille in 1824. It was originally named Nectarina lecheguana, and the switch from Nectarina to Brachygastra as a name for this genus was not standard in the scientific literature until the 1940s. Between 1824 and 1943, this species was documented as a member of the following genera: Polistes, Vespa, Nectarinia (a misspelling of Nectarina, and a misuse of this genus of birds), Brachygaster (another misspelling, and a misuse of this genus of parasitic wasp), Melissaia, and Caba.
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