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Specific Venom Immunotherapy (VIT) is practiced with venom extracted from insects, and is the specific therapy used for patients highly allergic to social insect (Hymenoptera) stings. Due to the dramatic shortage of vespid species in the local environment, we coupled vespiculture techniques of Polistes paper wasps with a venom collection procedure based on the electrical stimulation of individuals from entire colonies. The procedure involves little to no disturbance of the individual insects, and at the same time, successfully allows for the extraction of venom containing all allergens necessary for VIT.

We present the second record of Polistes associus (Kohl, 1898) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) from Slovakia after 66 years and discuss the distribution of this species in Europe. Morphological features of the species are compared with those of other morphologically similar congeners occurring in Central Europe, Polistes bischoffi Weyrauch, 1937 and Polistes nimpha (Christ, 1791), and the differential diagnoses are supplemented with figures.

For the Neotropical genus AngiopolybiaAraujo 1946, several phenotypic forms were previously described, however, they have not been studied within an integrative taxonomic framework. Here, we used molecular data (variation of two mitochondrial genetic markers with molecular species delimitation methods) and morphology (adult morphology, male genitalia, and scanning electron microscopy images) to test the number of species within Angiopolybia. Specifically, we investigated the taxonomic validity of the morphological variants A. pallens dark morph, A. paraensis morph paraensis, A. paraensis morph ruficornis, and A. paraensis morph obscurior. Moreover, we reviewed the taxonomy and geographic distribution of the genus. Our results of morphological and molecular analyses are compatible with the current classification of Angiopolybia, and we did not find reasons to propose the morphological variants of A. pallens and A. paraensis as valid species. Additionally, we reassess the spatial range of the four Angiopolybia species and provide refined maps of their geographical distributions.

Simple Summary Social parasites use a variety of deceptive mechanisms to avoid detection by their social-insect hosts and get tolerance in their colonies. One of these mechanisms is chemical insignificance, where social parasites have reduced amounts of recognition cues—hydrocarbons—on their cuticle, thus evading host chemical detection. This exposes social parasites to dehydration stress, as cuticular hydrocarbons also limit body water loss. By analyzing behavioral data from field observations, here we show that a Polistes wasp social parasite exhibits water-saving behaviors; parasites were less active than their cohabiting host foundresses, spent more time at the nest, and rested in the shadow, contradicting the rule that dominant individuals occupy prominent positions at the nest. Abstract Social parasites have evolved adaptations to overcome host resistance as they infiltrate host colonies and establish there. Among the chemical adaptations, a few species are chemically “insignificant”; they are poor in recognition cues (cuticular hydrocarbons) and evade host detection. As cuticular hydrocarbons also serve a waterproofing function, chemical insignificance is beneficial as it protects parasites from being detected but is potentially harmful because it exposes parasites to desiccation stress. Here I tested whether the social parasites Polistes atrimandibularis employ behavioral water-saving strategies when they live at Polistes biglumis colonies. Observations in the field showed that parasites were less active than their cohabiting host foundresses, spent more time at the nest, and rested in the shadowy, back face of the nest, rather than at the front face, which contradicted expectations for the use of space for dominant females—typically, dominants rest at the nest front-face. These data suggest that behavioral adaptations might promote resistance to desiccation stress in chemical insignificant social parasites.

Phenotypic characters are traditionally the main information for species discrimination in taxonomic studies of invertebrates. However, the presence of inter- and intraspecific polymorphism makes it difficult to identify species in many groups such as Neotropical social wasps. Herein, we examined different sources of biological information such as adult morphology, male genitalia, nest architecture, and genetic data applying an integrative taxonomic approach to study pinned museum specimens belonging to the social wasp genus Pseudopolybia de Saussure, 1863. Based on multiple independent lines of evidence, we described a new Neotropical swarm-founding social wasp, Pseudopolybia cryptica sp. n. Moreover, we proposed a phylogenetic hypothesis for Pseudopolybia including this new species. Our taxonomic findings applying an integrative approach reinforce that the social wasp diversity in the Neotropics may be underestimated due to morphological similarity.

Refurbishing the old nest in order to prepare it for a new breeding season cycle has already been observed in few species of paper wasps. When future foundresses emerge from hibernacula they have choose between building a new nest or reusing an old one. In present paper I described a case of multiple use and further expansion an old nest by Polistes dominula (Christ, 1791) in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Mazovia Region, Central Poland.

The genus Latibulus Gistel, 1848 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) is taxonomically reviewed in Iran. Specimens were collected using Malaise traps in the Isfahan province, during 2013–2015. Two species, Latibulus argiolus (Rossi, 1790) (spring form) and Latibulus orientalis (Horstmann, 1987) (summer form) are identified, of which L. orientalis is a new record for the fauna of Iran. In addition, L. argiolus is recorded from central part of Iran (Isfahan) for the first time. The geographical distribution of the recorded species in relation to the overall knowledge in the target area and adjacent regions is also discussed.

231 species of the family Vespidae (Hymenoptera, Vespoidea) of Iran, in 55 genera belonging to 4 subfamilies Eumeninae (45 genera, 184 species), Masarinae (5 genera, 24 species), Polistinae (2 genera, 17 species) and Vespinae (3 genera, 6 species) are listed. An overall assessment of the distribution pattern of the vespid species in Iran indicates a complex fauna of different biogeographic regions. 111 species are found in both Eastern and Western Palaearctic regions, while 67 species were found only in the Eastern Palaearctic region. Few species (14 species – 6.1%) of various genera are known as elements of central and western Asian area and their area of distribution is not known in Europe (West Palaearctic) and in the Far East. The species that were found both in the Oriental and Afrotropical Regions comprises 11.7 and 15.6% the Iranian vespid fauna, respectively. Many species (48, 20.8%) are exclusively recorded from Iran and as yet there is no record of these species from other countries. The highest percentage of the vespid species are recorded from Sistan-o Baluchestan (42 species, 18.2%), Alborz (42 species, 18.2%), Fars (39 species, 16.9%) and Tehran provinces (38 Species 16.5%), representing the fauna of the Southeastern, North- and South Central of the country.

Nestmate recognition, i.e., the ability to discriminate nestmates from foreign individuals, is a crucial feature of insect societies, and it has been traditionally considered to be predominantly based on chemical cues. Recent empirical evidence, however, suggests a relevant plasticity in the use of different communication channels according to cue availability and reliability in different contexts. In particular, visual cues have been shown to influence various types of social recognition in several social insects, but their role in nestmate recognition is still under-investigated. We tested the hypothesis of plasticity in the use of visual and chemical recognition cues in the primitively eusocial wasp Polistes dominula, in which the availability and reliability of recognition cues vary across the colony cycle. Indeed, before the emergence of workers, P. dominula colonies are rather small (one to few individuals), and the variability in the facial pattern might allow resident wasps to use visual cues for nestmate recognition. After workers' emergence, the increase in the number of colony members reduces the reliability of visual cues, thus leaving chemical cues as the most reliable nestmate recognition cues. We thus predict a differential use of chemical and visual cues along colony life. We experimentally separated visual and chemical cues of nestmates and non-nestmates and presented them alone or in combination (with coherent or mismatched cues) to resident wasps to test which communication channel was used in the two stages and, in case, how visual and chemical cues interacted. Our results show, for the first time in a social insect, the differential use of visual and chemical cues for nestmate recognition in two different phases of colony, which supports the hypothesis of a plastic, reliability-based use of recognition cues in this species according to the different colonial contexts.

Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-29T08:27:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2018-01-01 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Intraspecific variation in sperm morphometric is widespread across animal taxa and it might be related to different aspects of sexual selection. Within social insects, it has only been documented for some bee and ant species. Here we provided a detailed description of the variation in sperm morphometric in the paper wasp Polistes simillimus Zikan (Hymenoptera Vespidae). Light microscopy, digital photography and digital analyses were used to measure sperm (total length, head and flagellum length). Considering a single population from which we sampled four colonies, seven males of each colony and 30 sperm cells of each male (total 840 cells), the overall dimensions of P. simillimus spermatozoon is: total length 107 ± 7 (80-129) μm, coefficient of variation, CV = 8%; flagellum length 91 ± 7 (62-114) μm, CV = 7%; head length 16 ± 2 (9-30) μm, CV = 9%. We found that variation in the sperm constituent parts (head and flagellum) contribute to explaining the variation in total sperm length. However, the size of these parts varies independently. Besides, sperm total length and flagellum length differed between males, but not between nestmates and between colonies, while variation in sperm head was similar across all these levels of analyses. Finally, sperm morphometric is not associated with male body size. We discussed implications of our results for the study of sperm morphometric in insects, sampling procedures for estimating species-typical sperm size in social insects and the possibility of variation in male sperm quality in social wasps. Departamento de Biologia Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto Universidade de São Paulo Departamento de Biologia Geral Universidade Federal de Viçosa Departamento de Zoologia e Botânica Instituto de Biociências Letras e Ciências Exatas Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” Departamento de Zoologia e Botânica Instituto de Biociências Letras e Ciências Exatas Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” FAPESP: 2015/05302-0

In field experiments, an insect was trained to choose one of two visually different figures – A or B – in reference to situation (“situational learning”). Bees and wasps were shown to be able: 1) to choose A and to reject B at one location (place) of presentation of test figures and vice versa at the other location (at a distance of 1–8 m); 2) to choose A and to reject B at C-colored background and vice versa at D-colored background (at constant location). It is the first evidence of bees’ ability to make decisions depending on background color and the first evidence of wasps’ ability to perform situational learning. The described behaviors resemble “conditioned switching”, which is well known in vertebrates. Statistically significant individual differences between conspecifics have been recorded

Discussions regarding Polistinae biogeography in the last two decades rarely associated current patterns of distribution with environmental changes. This well-known and very diverse group of insects is highly endemic in the Neotropics, but environmental factors influencing the enormous biological diversity in the region are not well established. Exploring evidence on the two main hypotheses concerning the origins and early colonization processes of paper wasps we position in favor of the Gondwanan hypothesis and discuss change-promoter processes in the Neotropics whose effects might have altered the distributions and facilitated the speciation of Polistinae in the region. Furthermore, based on recent advances in biogeography, mostly in the integration of ecological and evolutionary information, we highlight directions for future biogeographical research within the group. Copyright Antônio F. Carvalho et al.

The Roraima state in Brazil is part of Northern Amazon, an area harboring high biodiversity and high degree of endemism. Nevertheless, there are few studies on diversity of social wasps occurring in this region. This study presents a list of social wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae) collected actively and using Malaise, Suspended and Light trap in six localities in Roraima state. A total of 85 species of 14 genera were collected. Fourty-five of these species are new distribution records to Roraima state, some species are not common found in the collections and lists of species, and some are recorded for the second time to Brazil or the Amazon region. This increase may be an indication that the Polistinae richness is probably higher in the regions studied and that Roraima may well contain a number of additional (as yet unrecorded) social wasp species. More comprehensive studies are needed in order to increase the knowledge of wasp species in Roraima, contributing to increased knowledge of the diversity in Northern Brazil.

Social wasps are common elements in Neotropics, although even elementary data about this taxon in the Amazon region is partially unknown. Therefore the purpose of this work was to increase the knowledge of social wasp fauna at the Ducke Reserve. One hundred and three species belonging to nineteen genera were recorded. The richest genera were Polybia (28 species), Agelaia (12) and Mischocyttarus (12). Seventy species was collected in active search, 42 species using Malaise trap, 25 suspended trap, 20 attractive trap and nine light trap. Ducke Reserve has one of the highest number of Polistinae wasps in reserves or parks in the Neotropic region.

The social vespid wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Vespinae and Polistinae) was studied in Bhutan during 2014-2016. A total of fifteen species were collected and identified that all of them are reported as new records from Bhutan: Vespa vivax Smith, V. velutina variana van der Vecht, V. fumida van der Vecht, Dolichovespula lama (du Buysson), Vespula flaviceps Smith, V. nursei Archer, V. vulgaris (Linnaeus), V. structor (Smith), Polistes (Polistella) nigritarsus (Cameron), Parapolybia varia (Fabricius), P. nodosa van der Vecht, Ropalidia artifex (de Saussure), R. stigma (Smith), R. ornaticeps (Cameron) and R. rufoplagiata gravelyi (Dover & Rao). Diagnostic characters and geographical distribution of all species are presented.

Relatedness is predicted to be a key determinant of cooperative behavior, but kin discrimination within social insect colonies is surprisingly rare. A lack of reliable cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) cues is thought to be responsible, but here we show that in a high-profile paper wasp model, kin recognition cues are available for some individuals that found nests with nonrelatives. Thus, unrelated Polistes dominulus helpers could potentially recognize themselves as such. On this basis, we reanalyzed a behavioral data set to investigate whether foraging effort, defense contributions and aggression toward nest mates might thus reflect CHC profiles. Both foraging behavior and aggression varied with genetic relatedness, but genetic relatedness itself was a better predictor of this variation than differences in CHC profiles. We propose that wasps use specific components of the CHC profile, the identity of which is as yet unknown, to identify relatives among nest mates. Our data provide the first evidence of within-nest kin discrimination in primitively eusocial wasps but leave open the question of which cues are responsible.

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-12T00:59:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-11-06 British Council Biocontrol agents can help reduce pest populations as part of an integrated pest management scheme, with minimal environmental consequences. However, biocontrol agents are often non-native species and require significant infrastructure; overuse of single agents results in pest resistance. Native biocontrol agents are urgently required for more sustainable multi-faceted approaches to pest management. Social wasps are natural predators of lepidopteran pests, yet their viability as native biocontrol agents is largely unknown. Here, we provide evidence that the social paper wasp Polistes satan is a successful predator on the larvae of two economically important and resilient crop pests, the sugarcane borer Diatraea saccharalis (on sugarcane Saccharum spp.) and the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (on maize Zea mays); P. satan wasps significantly reduce crop pest damage. These results provide the much-needed baseline experimental evidence that social wasps have untapped potential as native biocontrol agents for sustainable crop production and food security. Centre for Biodiversity and Environmental Research Department of Genetics Evolution and Environment Division of Biosciences University College London, Gower Street School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences São Paulo State University (UNESP) Departamento de Biologia Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto Universidade de São Paulo School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences São Paulo State University (UNESP)

Este estudo descreve o comportamento de coleta de água da vespa social europeia Polistes dominulus. As vespas campeiras pousavam diretamente na superfície da água e gastam 10-15 s coletando água. Ao fazer isso, as vespas podem evitar a predação por predadores no solo. No entanto, nem todos os indivíduos pousam diretamente na superfície da água, e sugerimos que esse comportamento especializado seja realizado apenas por forrageiras experientes. This study describes the first case of water landing for water collection in the European paper wasp Polistes dominulus. Wasp workers land directly on the water surface and spend 10-15 s collecting water. By doing so, the workers may avoid predation by ground predators. However, not all workers land directly on the water surface, and we suggest that this specialized behavior is performed only by experienced foragers info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The aim of this study was to record the parasitoid species found in social wasps nests sampled in different localities in Brazil and investigate the existence of preferential host-parasite associations in different tribes of Neotropical paper wasps. We sampled nests of Mischocyttarus cassununga , Mischocyttarus consimilis , Mischocyttarus imitator , Polistes canadensis , Polistes cinerascens , Polistes versicolor , Angiopolybia pallens , Leipomeles spilogastra , Polybia jurinei and two indeterminate species of Mischocyttarus . M . cassununga , M . imitator and Mischocyttarus ( Phi ) sp.1 were parasitized by Toechorychus guarapuavus (Ichneumonidae) and M. consimilis, M . imitator and Mischocyttarus sp. 2 was parasitized by Toechorychus fluminensis (Ichneumonidae). P . versicolor and P. cinerascens were parasitized by Elasmus polistes (Eulophidae) and P. canadensis by Simenota depressa (Trigonalidae); A . pallens and L . spilogastra, were infested by Brachymeria sp.1 and Brachymeria sp.2 (Chalcididae), respectively. M . cassununga and Polybia jurinei were parasitized by Megaselia scalaris (Phoridae). We suggested that there may be specific and preferential association between parasitoids and social paper wasps.

Social wasps are common elements in Neotropics, although even elementary data about this taxon in Amazon region is partially unknown. Therefore the purpose of this work was to increase the knowledge of social wasp fauna at Jaú National Park. A total of 494 specimens of Polistinae was collected with active search, malaise trap and light trap. Forty-nine species belonging to fourteen genera were recorded. The richest genera were Polybia (14 species), Agelaia (07), Mischocyttarus (05), Apoica (04), Brachygastra (04) and Protopolybia (04); the remaining genera were represented by less than two species. The Jaccard similarity coefficient showed a higher similarity of the Jaú National Park with Ducke Reserve (Manaus, Amazonas). Four species were collected for the first time in Amazonas state Agelaia flavipennis (Ducke), Polybia affinis Du Buysson, Protopolybia nitida (Ducke) and Protopolybia sedula (de Saussure), only in Jaú National Park, showing the importance of this park for the social wasps preservation in the Amazon region. Fauna de Vespas Sociais (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) do Parque Nacional do Jaú, Amazonas, Brasil Resumo. Vespas sociais são elementos comuns na região neotropical, embora até mesmo a coleta de dados elementares sobre este táxon na região amazônica ainda é parcialmente desconhecido. Por isso objetivamos contribuir para o conhecimento sobre a fauna de vespas sociais que ocorrem no Parque Nacional do Jaú. Um total de 494 indivíduos de Polistinae foi coletado através de busca ativa, armadilha Malaise e armadilha luminosa. Quarenta e nove espécies de 14 gêneros foram registradas. Polybia (14 espécies), Agelaia (07), Mischocyttarus (05), Apoica (04), Brachygastra (04) e Protopolybia (04) são os gêneros com o maior número de espécies; os demais gêneros coletados foram representados por apenas duas ou uma espécie. De acordo com o coeficiente de similaridade de Jaccard, a composição de espécies de Parque Nacional do Jaú é semelhante a Reserva Ducke (Manaus, Amazonas). Agelaia flavipennis (Ducke), Polybia affinis Du Buysson, Protopolybia nitida (Ducke) e Protopolybia sedula (de Saussure) são considerados novos registros de ocorrência para o estado do Amazonas e foram coletados, até o momento, apenas no Parque Nacional do Jaú, demonstrando a importância deste parque para a preservação de vespas sociais na região amazônica.

International audience; Nestmate recognition is a common phenomenon insocial insects that typically is mediated by cuticular hydrocarbons.Geographical variation in cuticular hydrocarbons hasbeen observed, although the pattern of variation is not consistentacross species and is usually related to the biology andecology of the different species. Polistes biglumis(Hymenoptera: Vespidae) is a social wasp that lives in highmountains where populations are separated by significantgeographical barriers. Here we investigated the level of chemicalvariation among populations of P. biglumis in the Alps,and shed light on the phylogeography of this species.Populations could be discriminated bymeans of their cuticularhydrocarbon profiles, which showed a pattern consistent withthe isolation-by-distance hypothesis. Molecular datahighlighted two areas with different levels of haplotype diversity,although all wasps belonged to the same species. Theseresults suggest that the populations of P. biglumis in the Alpsare geographically isolated from one another, favoring theirgenetic and chemical differentiation.

Discussions regarding Polistinae biogeography in the last two decades rarely associated current patterns of distribution with environmental changes. This well-known and very diverse group of insects is highly endemic in the Neotropics, but environmental factors influencing the enormous biological diversity in the region are not well established. Exploring evidence on the two main hypotheses concerning the origins and early colonization processes of paper wasps we position in favor of the Gondwanan hypothesis and discuss change-promoter processes in the Neotropics whose effects might have altered the distributions and facilitated the speciation of Polistinae in the region. Furthermore, based on recent advances in biogeography, mostly in the integration of ecological and evolutionary information, we highlight directions for future biogeographical research within the group.

Understanding the developmental and evolutionary processes that generate and maintain variation in natural populations remains a major challenge for modern biology. Populations ofPolistes fuscatuspaper wasps have highly variable colour patterns that mediate individual recognition. Previous experimental and comparative studies have provided evidence that colour pattern diversity is the result of selection for individuals to advertise their identity. Distinctive identity-signalling phenotypes facilitate recognition, which reduces aggression between familiar individuals inP. fuscatuswasps. Selection for identity signals may increase phenotypic diversity via two distinct modes of selection that have different effects on genetic diversity. Directional selection for increased plasticity would greatly increase phenotypic diversity but decrease genetic diversity at associated loci. Alternatively, heritable identity signals under balancing selection would maintain genetic diversity at associated loci. Here, we assess whether there is heritable variation underlying colour pattern diversity used for facial recognition in a wild population ofP. fuscatuswasps. We find that colour patterns are heritable and not Mendelian, suggesting that multiple loci are involved. Additionally, patterns of genetic correlations among traits indicated that many of the loci underlying colour pattern variation are unlinked and independently segregating. Our results support a model where the benefits of being recognizable maintain genetic variation at multiple unlinked loci that code for phenotypic diversity used for recognition.

The aim of the present work was to discover how many species inhabit the environs of Brasília. Being an approximate rectangle in the middle of the Cerrado biome, the Federal District of Brasília is a representative “quadrat” to sample the biome’s fauna.

Understanding intraspecific geographic variation in animal signals poses a challenging evolutionary problem. Studies addressing geographic variation typically focus on signals used in mate-choice, however, geographic variation in intrasexual signals involved in competition is also known to occur. In Polistes dominulus paper wasps, females have black facial spots that signal dominance: individuals wasps with more complex 'broken' facial patterns are better fighters and are avoided by rivals. Recent work suggests there is dramatic geographic variation in these visual signals of quality, though this variation has not been explicitly described or quantified. Here, we analyze variation in P. dominulus signals across six populations and explore how environmental conditions may account for this variation. Overall, we found substantial variation in facial pattern brokenness across populations and castes. Workers have less broken facial patterns than gynes and queens, which have similar facial patterns. Strepsipteran parasitism, body size and temperature are all correlated with the facial pattern variation, suggesting that developmental plasticity likely plays a key role in this variation. First, the extent of parasitism varies across populations and parasitized individuals have lower facial pattern brokenness than unparasitized individuals. Second, there is substantial variation in body size across populations and a weak but significant relationship between facial pattern brokenness and body size. Wasps from populations with smaller body size (e.g. Italy) tend to have less broken facial patterns than wasps from populations with larger body size (e.g. New York, USA). Third, there is an apparent association between facial patterns and climate, with wasp from cooler locations tending to have higher facial pattern brokenness than wasps from warmer locations. Additional experimental work testing the causes and consequences of facial pattern variation will be important, as geographic variation in signals has important consequences for the evolution of communication systems and social behavior.

The observation of two distinct, well-defined oviposition areas in nests of the primitively eusocial wasp Polistes versicolor suggests the presence of multiple egg-layers and territorial behaviors. Electrophoretic analysis of enzyme loci in pupae from 35 colonies revealed an average observed heterozygosity of 0.10 and the existence of private polymorphisms, thereby indicating a low dispersion in this species. No evidence of diploid males was found. Phenotypic segregation analysis revealed the presence of more than one egg-laying female in 15 out of 35 colonies, as well as spatially preferential oviposition in 2 out of 13 nests, with distinct oviposition areas. Genetic relatedness estimates for brood were lower than expected for haplodiploid species under monogynous conditions (r = 0.75 for female broods and r = 0.5 for male) in 4 of those 13 nests, thereby inferring complex sociogenetic structuring in Polistes versicolor colonies.