Polybia occidentalis
| Polybia occidentalis | |
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| Polybia occidentalis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Suborder: | Apocrita |
| Family: | Vespidae |
| Subfamily: | Polistinae |
| Genus: | Polybia |
| Species: | Polybia occidentalis |
| Binomial name | |
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Polybia occidentalis Olivier, 1791 |
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Polybia occidentalis, commonly known as Camoati, is a swarm-founding advanced eusocial wasp. Swarm-founding means that a swarm of these wasps find a nesting site and build the nest together. This species can be found in Central and South America.P. occidentalis prey on nectar, insects, and carbohydrate sources while birds and ants prey on and parasitize them. A fun fact is that workers bite each other to communicate that it is time to start working.
The species Polybia occidentalis belongs to the subfamily Polistinae. Polistines are one of 6 subfamilies of Vespidae, and the subfamily contains 4 tribes, with Polybia belonging to the tribe Epiponini.
P. occidentalis are black and yellow wasps. They have a black base with few yellow stripes on their abdomen. Their wings are thin and their thorax is attached to the abdomen by a long, thin petiole. Workers have a mean dry weight ranging from 3.80 mg to 6.71 mg. They have a costa length ranging from 3.6 mm to 4.7 mm.Queen wasps are differentiated from workers because they have visibly larger ovaries which are filled with eggs. Males are differentiated from workers and queens due to their visible testes.
P. occidentalis can be found from Mexico to northern Argentina[1]. This species of wasp is common in Costa Rica and Brazil. live in neotropic areas which consist of tropical forests with strong wet-dry seasonality. These wasps nest in neotropic areas in order to have the appropriate resources for building and gathering prey in the wet season and surviving with these resources through the dry season. Neotropic environments are beneficial for swarm-founding colonies. They will usually settle where there are large carbohydrate sources available. P. occidentalis build their nests in low areas and find shelter in trees, bushes, hedges, and even buildings.
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