Polistes apachus
| Polistes apachus | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Vespidae |
| Subfamily: | Polistinae |
| Tribe: | Polistini |
| Genus: | Polistes |
| Species: | P. apachus |
| Binomial name | |
|
Polistes apachus Saussure, 1857 |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
|
Polistes apachus is a social wasp native to western North America. It is commonly referred to as the "apache wasp" and is the most common Polistes species found in California. P. apachus establishes itself in vines and orchards, but can also be found in more urban areas. It is a type of paper wasp, which is the common name for a type of wasp that uses a papery material to construct its nests.
P. apachus was originally named by Henri Louis Frédéric de Saussure in 1857. P. apachus can vary in haploid chromosome number (with either 22 or 25 chromosomes), and further investigation is necessary to determine whether this is evidence of two mophologically identical sibling cryptospecies. Changes continue to be made to the taxonomy and phylogeny, but detailed knowledge of the phylogeny remains relatively rudimentary at this point.
P. apachus shares the basic yellow and brown pattern with other species of social wasps in the genus Polistes. As a result, P. apachus is often misidentified. Specifically, P. apachus closely resembles P. exclamans. Though both species look very similar, P. apachus can usually be differentiated by wider yellow bands on its abdomen. The fact that P. apachus is the largest and most brightly-colored Polistes in the state of California also helps with differentiation. The length of P. apachus is about 20 mm. Its pronotum is bordered with a yellow stripe, and its mesonotum has two transverse yellow stripes. The anterior stripe is narrow and the posterior stripe is broader. The extent of color differentiation can vary amongst individuals. Either brown or yellow can predominate on certain individuals, while other individuals display an equal amount of yellow and brown. There is no recognizable difference in size or appearance between egg-laying queens and her workers.
Nests tend to be large, containing about 150 cells. Combs of the nest also tend to be large, reaching 15X20 cm. The nests are single-layered and circular or umbrella-shaped. The nests tend to be supported by longer pedicals than are found in other vespids.
P. apachus is found in the United States, specifically in central valleys and southern California and Texas, as well as adjacent areas to the north, west and south. Evidence suggests that the species was introduced into California from Texas around 1920. Since then, P. apachus has been extending its range. P. apachus has not been able to extend further north than Southern Colorado and Kansas, suggesting that the species has spread as far north as it can spread.
...
Wikipedia