Synoeca cyanea
| Synoeca cyanea | |
|---|---|
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| A nest of S. cyanea | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Vespidae |
| Subfamily: | Polistinae |
| Tribe: | Epiponini |
| Genus: | Synoeca |
| Species: | S. cyanea |
| Binomial name | |
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Synoeca cyanea (Fabricius, 1775) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Vespa cyanea Fabricius 1775 |
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Vespa cyanea Fabricius 1775
Synoeca azurea Saussure 1852
Synoeca ultramarina Saussure 1852
Synoeca violacea Saussure 1852
Synoeca cyanea, commonly known as marimbondo-tatu, is a swarm-founding social wasp. Native to Brazil and Argentina, S. cyanea is one of the largest and most aggressive species of social wasps and is feared in many rural areas. It begins its colony cycle in the early spring and continues until nest abandonment. Throughout its life, S. cyanea forage sugary substances and animal carcasses for food and wood pulp for its nest.S. cyanea is also known for its strong venom, which is enough to cause haemolytic activity.
Johan Christian Fabricius, a Danish zoologist, classified S. cyanea in 1775. The genus Synoeca is a part of the paper wasp tribe Epiponini and consists of five species (S. chalibea, S. virginea, S. septentrionalis, S. surinama, and S. cyanea). Synoeca is a basal genus in the tribe. Cyanea, the adjective describing the species, translates to “dark blue,” referring to the metallic blue patches on the exterior of S. cyanea.
S. cyanea is black with metallic blue patches on its body. In addition, S. cyanea has a red clypeus. While other species in the genus Synoeca do not demonstrate caste differences, S. cyanea sometimes shows differentiation between the size of workers and the queen. A queen of a nest that is early in development will often be the same size as the workers and intermediates as it has not fully developed its reproductive organs. As the colony and nest grow, the queen also grows in size, due to ovarian development, until it is larger than the workers and intermediates. When males are present, they are also smaller than the queen.
S. cyanea composes its nest out of a single comb with the cells directly attached to a tree. These types of nests are known as astelocyttarous nests. A corrugated, protective envelope made of wood pulp covers the nest, with the entrance on the superior portion of the nest. It is suggested that the architecture of the nest serves as protection against the predation of ants.
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Wikipedia