Mischocyttarus flavitarsis
| Mischocyttarus flavitarsis | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Vespidae |
| Genus: | Mischocyttarus |
| Species: | M. flavitarsis |
| Binomial name | |
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Mischocyttarus flavitarsis (Saussure, 1854) |
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Mischocyttarus flavitarsis is a social paper wasp found in western North America. Their nests can be found both in forests close to rivers or in close proximity to human life under the eaves of roofs. Despite the fact that M. flavitarsis nests are frequently in close contact with humans, M. flavitarsis typically will not sting, but rather ram into the threatening individual. Their colony cycle typically begins before May and will last until October. The queen will then seek a hibernation site for the winter. Perched near female hibernation sites are males with whom the female will mate. The males have claimed their territory by rubbing sternal brushes along the border of the site, leaving a chemical that deters other individuals from approaching.M. flavitarsis feed on arthropods, nectar, and animal carcasses and are often prey to birds, ants, and praying mantis.
Henri Louis Frédéric de Saussure, a Swiss mineralogist and entomologist, classified M. flavitarsis in 1854. The genus Mischocyttarus is the only genus in the tribe Mischocyttarini and is the largest genus of social wasps.Mischocyttarus species are recognizable by the internal and external lobes of the tarsal segments. Additionally, mature larvae have an appendix-like process on their first abdominal sternum.
Paper wasps typically have long and slender bodies with trailing hind legs. The color of their body is generally brownish. Specifically, M. flavitarsis is divided into five races based on coloration.
The nests of M. flavitarsis often hang from a 2–3 mm pedicle and are symmetrically round under the stem. Although rare, nests have been observed to be asymmetrically oblong or built on a vertical wall. The cells are sloping combs, and there are typically fewer than 300 cells per nest, making a relatively small nest per colony.
M. flavitarsis is found in the western United States and Canada, ranging from southern California to British Columbia. Typically, the wasps build nests in riparian forests at elevations of 1500 to 2700 meters. At lower elevations, the nests are located in deciduous and hard evergreens, and at higher elevations in conifers. Nests are typically found within 50 meters of rivers. M. flavitarsis is also known to nest in the built environment, particularly in protected spaces such as wall voids, the underside of eves, etc.
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Wikipedia