| Leucodynerus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Vespidae |
| Subfamily: | Eumeninae |
| Genus: | Leucodynerus Bohart, 1982 [1] |
| Type species | |
| Odynerus congressus Viereck, 1908 [1] | |
| Species | |
| |
Leucodynerus is a Nearctic genus of small sized potter wasps distributed in south western United States and northern Mexico.
The Vespidae are a large, diverse, cosmopolitan family of wasps, including nearly all the known eusocial wasps and many solitary wasps. Each social wasp colony includes a queen and a number of female workers with varying degrees of sterility relative to the queen. In temperate social species, colonies usually last only one year, dying at the onset of winter. New queens and males (drones) are produced towards the end of the summer, and after mating, the queens hibernate over winter in cracks or other sheltered locations. The nests of most species are constructed out of mud, but polistines and vespines use plant fibers, chewed to form a sort of paper. Many species are pollen vectors contributing to the pollination of several plants, being potential or even effective pollinators, while others are notable predators of pest insect species, and a few species are invasive pests.
Paper wasps are vespid wasps and typically refers to members of the vespid subfamily Polistinae, though it often colloquially includes members of the subfamilies Vespinae and Stenogastrinae, discussed elsewhere, which also make nests out of paper. Paper wasp nests are characterized by open combs with down pointing cells. Some types of paper wasps are also sometimes called umbrella wasps, due to the distinctive design of their nests.
Polistes is a cosmopolitan genus of paper wasps and the only genus in the tribe Polistini. Vernacular names for the genus include umbrella wasps, coined by Walter Ebeling in 1975 to distinguish it from other types of paper wasp, in reference to the form of their nests, and umbrella paper wasps. Polistes is the single largest genus within the family Vespidae, with over 200 recognized species. Their innate preferences for nest-building sites leads them to commonly build nests on human habitation, where they can be very unwelcome; although generally not aggressive, they can be provoked into defending their nests. All species are predatory, and they may consume large numbers of caterpillars, in which respect they are generally considered beneficial.
The Polistinae is a subfamily of eusocial wasps belonging to the family Vespidae. They are closely related to the wasps and true hornets of the subfamily Vespinae, containing four tribes. With about 1,100 species total, it is the second-most diverse subfamily within the Vespidae, and while most species are tropical or subtropical, they include some of the most frequently encountered large wasps in temperate regions.
Potter wasps, the Eumeninae, are a cosmopolitan wasp group presently treated as a subfamily of Vespidae, but sometimes recognized in the past as a separate family, Eumenidae.
Dolichovespula is a small genus of social wasps distributed widely throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The yellow and black members of the genus are known by the common name yellowjackets in North America, such as Dolichovespula norwegica, along with members of their sister genus Vespula. In a study on the nesting biology of Dolichovespula, a colony of D. maculata with 771 workers was reported as having the largest recorded population count.
The Euparagiinae are a small subfamily of rare wasps in the family Vespidae containing a single extant genus Euparagia. The group had a cosmopolitan distribution in past geological times extending back to the Early Cretaceous, but is now a geographically relict taxon known only from the desert regions of the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.
Zethus is a very large, mainly neotropical genus of potter wasps with some species representation also in the Nearctic, Afrotropical, Australian and Indomalayan regions.
Agelaia is a genus of Neotropical social wasps, with species from Mexico to northern Argentina. Fifteen of the 31 described species are found in Brazil. These species are swarm founders that nest in cavities. The nest generally is without an envelope.
Symmorphus is a primarily holarctic genus of potter wasps.within the family Vespidae.
Maricopodynerus is a Nearctic genus of potter wasps distributed west of the 100° western meridian in the United States and Mexico. The second metasomal segment, with its tergum much larger than its sternum is an outstanding characteristic of this genus.
Pseudomasaris is a genus of pollen wasps of the family Vespidae, found in arid regions of western North America. They feed their larvae on the pollen and nectar of a variety of plants, though many species prefer flowers in the genus Phacelia. They are colored black with yellow or white markings that, in a few species, resemble the coloration of yellowjackets.
Gastrodynerus is a small south-western nearctic genus of potter wasps with four currently recognized species, all of them found in Mexico. Gastrodynerus vanduzeei is also found in the United States.
Microdynerus is a genus of potter wasps in the family Vespidae.
Pterocheilus is an essentially holarctic genus of potter wasps with a fairly rich diversity in North America and a single Afrotropical species Pterocheilus eurystomus Kohl 1906 known from Socotra. They are usually rather large wasps characterized by reduced tegulae and prominently pilose labial palpi.
Agelaia pallipes is a species of social paper wasp found from Costa Rica to Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. A. pallipes is ground-nesting and is one of the most aggressive wasps in South America. This species is a predator of other insects, including flies, moths, and ground crickets, as well as baby birds.
Polistes apachus is a social wasp native to western North America. It is known in English by the common name Texas paper wasp, or southwestern Texas paper wasp. It has also been called the Apache wasp, perhaps first by Simmons et al. in California in 1948. Simmons et al. reported how in California P. apachus is often found in fig orchards where it is considered a pest species due to its aggressive attacks and painful stings on farm labourers during harvest time in September and October. It may sometimes also be found in other types of orchards or in vineyards, but in California it is also commonly found to establish nests in or on houses in urban areas in attics or under the eaves of buildings. It is a type of paper wasp, which is the common name for a type of wasp that uses a papery material to construct its nests.
Mischocyttarus flavitarsis is a social paper wasp found in western North America. Their nests can be found both in forests close to rivers or in close proximity to human life under the eaves of roofs. Despite the fact that M. flavitarsis nests are frequently in close contact with humans, M. flavitarsis typically will not sting, but rather ram into the threatening individual. Their colony cycle typically begins before May and will last until October. The queen will then seek a hibernation site for the winter. Perched near female hibernation sites are males with whom the female will mate. The males have claimed their territory by rubbing sternal brushes along the border of the site, leaving a chemical that deters other individuals from approaching. M. flavitarsis feed on arthropods, nectar, and animal carcasses and are often prey to birds, ants, and praying mantis.
Parischnogaster is a genus of hover wasps from the subfamily Stenogastrinae, a subfamily of eusocial wasps endemic to the Oriental Region which are included in the family Vespidae.
Euparagia is a genus of wasps in the family Vespidae, the only extant genus in the subfamily Euparagiinae.