Parischnogaster alternata
| The Black hover wasp | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Suborder: | Vespoidea |
| Family: | Vespidae |
| Subfamily: | Stenogastrinae |
| Genus: | Parischnogaster |
| Species: | P. alternata |
| Binomial name | |
|
Parischnogaster alternata Sakag., 1969 |
|
The Black hover wasp, Parischnogaster alternata, is a eusocial wasp in the genus Parischnogaster. It is native to countries in South-East Asia, and builds its nests in cavities located in dark and damp locations. The nests of Black hover wasps are often found in clusters, which serves as a passive defense mechanism against predators. The annual colony cycle begins with nest initiation by a single foundress though colonies typically consist of 2-3 associative females and helpers that aid in brood development, nest construction, and colony defense. Indicative of the name, female P. alternata are known to strategically hover near nests when visiting other colonies before landing. These intrusions produce responses ranging from aerial fighting to cooperative food sharing.
Parischnogaster alternata was originally named by Shoichi Francisco Sakagami in 1969.P. alternata is one of ten species in the genus Parischnogaster. In current literature, P. alternata has been classified as potentially synonymous with another species, Parischnogaster timida discovered by Williams in 1928. These two synonymies may result in future renaming of the species. The closest relative is Parischnogaster striatula. In a phylogenetic classification study, P. striatula was misclassified for P. alternata suggesting close genetic relatedness. These two species are both a part of the striatula-group due to shared descriptive characteristics such as the length and width of the petiole and the separation of the clypeus from the eye.
The Black hover wasp is characterized by their brown-black coloration. Similar to other species in the Stenogastrinae subfamily, P. alternata can be distinguished by their significantly narrow mandibles. Another descriptor is the long, pointed clypeus separate from the eye shared by Parischnogaster striatula.
The Black hover wasps inhabit the tropical rain forests of two Southeast Asian countries: Malaysia (Sarawak and Sabah) and Singapore.
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