Polistes instabilis

Polistes instabilis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Superfamily:	Vespoidea
Family:	Vespidae
Subfamily:	Polistinae
Genus:	Polistes
Species:	P. instabilis
Binomial name
Polistes instabilis Saussure, 1953

Polistes instabilis, a type of paper wasp, is a neotropical, eusocial wasp (family Vespidae) that can be found in tropical and subtropical areas such as Central America and South America. It can be easily identified with its characteristic yellow, brown, and reddish markings, and it builds nests made from chewing plant fibers and making them into paper.

Colonies are usually initiated in the spring after the foundresses have emerged from the winter. Either one or a few queens found each colony by laying eggs, which develop into workers. Although there are no morphological differences between queens and workers, queens can be identified easily by their dominant interactions with workers. While queens are responsible for laying eggs, workers are responsible for gathering materials for the nest, tending to the young, and foraging for food. This species tends to feed on nectar as well as arthropods such as caterpillars.

Polistes wasps, including Polistes instabilis, are large social wasps with yellow, brown and reddish markings. Body size ranges between 0.51–0.98 in (13–25 mm) with wings that are about 0.55 in (14 mm), which are folded longitudinally against the body. Male Polistes are typically smaller than females, have a yellow face, and hold their antenna curled at the tips, while females hold their antenna straight at the tips and have more dark markings on their faces.

Nests are constructed with paper substance made by chewing up plant fibers, and they are typically connected a surface by a stalk. The cells of the nest are not covered as they are in some other wasp species.

The genus Polistes is one of the most widely distributed taxa of social wasps, and is known for morphological and behavioral similarities within the genus. The genus includes swarm-founding wasps and independent-founding wasps.Polistes instabilis was described by Saussure in 1853, and is an independent-founding wasp. This means that colonies are initiated by a single queen. Polistes instabilis shares many similarities with its Aphanilopterus relatives, especially Polistes versicolor. Both species are found to form facultative winter aggregations in high altitudes. The most closely related species to Polistes instabilis is Polistes exclamans exclamans.

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Wikipedia