Mischocyttarus
| Mischocyttarus | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Western paper wasp (Mischocyttarus flavitarsis) building a nest | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Vespidae |
| Genus: |
Mischocyttarus Saussure, 1853 |
| Species | |
|
>200 species |
|
>200 species
Mischocyttarus is a very large, primarily Neotropical genus of social wasps with a few species found also in the Nearctic region. It is the only member of the tribe Mischocyttarini. Mischocyttarus wasps build a relatively simple, single comb nest. Sometimes, the nest is built within a meter of the nest of Polistes carnifex. It can be distinguished by its brown and yellow stripes. Foraging adults bring nectar and small caterpillars back to the nest to feed to the developing larvae which are individually housed in separate cells in the nest. Not all nests have a female with developed ovaries. Their biology is similar to that of species in the genus Polistes. However, Mischocyttarus appear to show considerably more social and reproductive flexibility than Polistes.
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