Polistes atrimandibularis
| Polistes atrimandibularis | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Vespidae |
| Subfamily: | Polistinae |
| Genus: | Polistes |
| Species: | P. atrimandibularis |
| Binomial name | |
|
Polistes atrimandibularis Zimmermann, 1930 |
|
Polistes atrimandibularis is one of three obligate social parasites among the Polistes wasps found in Europe. Of the three social paper wasp parasites, it is the smallest. It parasitizes multiple species such as P. dominula, P. nimpha, P. associus, P. gallicus, and P. biglumis. Females of P. atrimandibularis are unable to build a nest or produce workers, and therefore rely entirely on the host colony.
P. atrimandibularis is under the subfamily Polistinae (paper wasps). It is closely related to the other two obligate social parasites: P. sulcifer and P. semenowi. These three Polistes inquiline species are more closely related to P. nimphus and P. dominula rather than to P. gallicus and P. biglumis.
P. atrimandibularis is the smallest of the three social Polistes parasites. The size of the host’s species brood cells determines P. atrimandibularis size, with the smaller P. atrimandibularis emerging from the nests of P. gallicus and P. associus. Likewise, the larger P. atrimandibularis emerge from the nests of P. dominula instead. This paper wasp has enlarged mandibles, used as weapons to injure hosts that resist parasite intrusion. They also have an enlarged first femur and a longer posterior tibia that is useful for when they must maintain a dominant position within the host colony.
P. atrimandibularis is a rare European species found mainly around the Mediterranean and Caspian basin. They typically position themselves at higher elevations, although it is not unheard of to find colonies at lower elevations. Accordingly, one of the species that P. atrimandibularis parasitizes, P. biglumis, lives mainly in montane climates in Southern Europe. They do not possess the ability to build their own nests, so they must parasitize other wasps’ colonies.
Similar to the two other Polistes social parasites, P. atrimandibularis usurps colonies in the late spring, which is roughly one month before the emergence of host workers. This allows the parasite sufficient time to reproduce and exploit the worker force. As soon as the usurper has successfully dominated the host’s queen, it begins to lay its own eggs, and will remain in the host colony until the end of its life cycle. It is not until late summer that the newly emerged parasites migrate to the mountains to mate and then overwinter for several months under a thick blanket of snow and ice.
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Wikipedia