Polistes carnifex
| Polistes carnifex | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Vespidae |
| Subfamily: | Polistinae |
| Tribe: | Polistini |
| Genus: | Polistes |
| Species: | P. carnifex |
| Binomial name | |
|
Polistes carnifex Fabricius 1775 |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Vespa carnifex Fabricius 1775 |
|
Vespa carnifex Fabricius 1775
Polistes carnifex is a neotropical vespid wasp in the cosmopolitan genus Polistes and is native to Central and South America. It is a small, yellow and brown social insect that establishes small colonies which build papery nests under the eaves of buildings or suspended from branches. The colonies are often founded by solitary queens, many times in the form of winter aggregations to wait until environmental conditions are more suitable for building a colony. Not all nests have a female with developed ovaries. 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. Evolutionary adaptations include mandibles and teeth. Worker-queen conflict, worker policing, and dominance interactions all come into play for the species. Polistes carnifex is territorial and is parasitized.
Polistes carnifex belongs to the Polistes genus, which is the largest genus in the Vespidae family and the only genus in the Polistini tribe.Polistes carnifex is a species of paper wasp and, as like other members of the subfamily Polistinae, is a eusocial wasp. One of the hypothesized phylogenetic trees puts Polistes carnifex most closely related to Polistes major and more distantly related to the following species: Polistes apachus, Polistes aurifer, Polistes bellicosus, Polistes carolina, Polistes metricus, Polistes poeyi haitiensis, and Polistes perplexus. However, there has not been a consensus with regard to the phylogeny of Polistes carnifex so no one phylogenetic tree can be termed correct.
Polistes carnifex is the largest neotropical wasp in the Polistes genus. Despite its size, it is a relatively non-aggressive insect. It can be distinguished by its brown and yellow stripes.
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