Polistes instabilis

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Polistes instabilis
Avispa del papel-Paper wasp (Polistes instabilis) (7623451086).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Vespidae
Subfamily: Polistinae
Tribe: Polistini
Genus: Polistes
Species:
P. instabilis
Binomial name
Polistes instabilis
Saussure, 1853

Polistes instabilis, or unstable paper wasp is 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. [1] 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. [2]

Contents

Colonies are usually initiated in the spring after the foundresses have emerged from the winter. [3] 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. [4] While queens are responsible for laying eggs, workers are responsible for gathering materials for the nest, tending to the young, and foraging for food. [5] This species tends to feed on nectar as well as arthropods such as caterpillars. [6]

Description and identification

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. [1] [7] 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. [2]

Nests are constructed with paper substance made by chewing up plant fibers, and they are typically connected a surface by a stalk. [1] [2] The cells of the nest are not covered as they are in some other wasp species. [7]

Taxonomy and phylogeny

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. [8] Polistes instabilis was described by Saussure in 1853, and is an independent-founding wasp. [9] 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. [10] The most closely related species to Polistes instabilis is Polistes exclamans exclamans. [11]

Distribution and habitat

Polistes instabilis can be found in tropical and subtropical areas. [4] These include Central and South America, specifically Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. [1] Those found in Costa Rica tend to live in the lowlands, in dry forested areas. Once the rainy season ends in December, individuals migrate to higher elevation to wait out the winter. [12]

Colony cycle

Polistes instabilis colonies are usually initiated in the spring during the month of March. They are begun by one or few queens who have already mated called foundresses. [3] The foundresses emerge from overwintering and begin building the nest. They do this by chewing up plant fibers and making them into paper, which is the main material for the nest. Once the nest is made, eggs are laid by one or multiple females, which then tend to the young. When the young develop, females become workers and continue to build the nest and tend to larvae. Male wasps’ sole purpose is mating, and after their purpose has been served, they either die or are killed by the females. [2] Colonies are typically small, with large colonies housing less than 100 individuals. [12] Colonies are also strongly seasonal. Wasps usually leave the nest in October or November to overwinter, and new colonies are formed again the following March. [3]

Behavior

Dominance hierarchy

Although female workers and reproductives are virtually identical in appearance and morphology, [13] the queen can easily be identified by observing her actions. The queen is the most active and aggressive individual in the nest. She frequently attacks other subordinates, and is never attacked by others. She also has the most developed ovaries, indicating her reproductive superiority, and performs the most abdomen wagging. [4] She preserves her role as the primary egg layer by fighting, threatening, and eating others’ eggs. [3] When a queen is removed from the nest, an old and active worker with high dominance takes her place. This individual is likely to be the oldest of the subordinate workers. Size is not a factor in determining dominance in Polistes instabilis. Subordinates cannot nest alone or join a different colony, and thus must increase their fitness within their own colony. They accomplish this by performing dominance interactions to other workers such as gaster wagging, wing vibrating, and aggressive actions. This results in a hierarchy within the workers. [4]

Division of labor

Workers obtain information about colony needs from the environment, [5] and must respond to changes in colony structure. Activity in the colony seems to be decentralized, with the majority of interactions initiated by workers, not the queen. [14] Workers that are more dominant tend to pressure subordinates to forage by dominance interactions, and thus subordinates do the majority of foraging. [15] Those who are foragers must respond to intrinsic and extrinsic changes in colony need in order to maintain levels of food, water and building materials. The job of collecting water seems to belong to a small number of fixated foragers. When water foragers are removed from the nest, the remaining individuals will increase their search rate rather than recruit other workers to become water foragers. This indicates that foraging for water is a specialized job. Nectar collection, however, depends on a larger number of workers. When nectar foragers are removed from the nest, new individuals are recruited to replace them. This may be because the location of nectar is not always known, and nectar foragers are not able to increase their search rate to make up for lost workers. [5]

Communication

Nest mates must communicate with each other in order to perform necessary tasks such as nest building and foraging. Some colonies have diffuse connections where each individual is just as likely to interact with any other. On the other hand, some colonies have very high connectedness between a subset of workers that send out communications to the rest of the colony. Polistes instabilis is an example of these types of colonies, where a few dominant workers seem to induce others to forage. This occurs by dominance interactions mentioned in previous sections. [16] Individuals will do gaster wagging, wing vibrations, or other aggressions in order to assert their dominance and tell subordinates to forage. [15] Therefore more dominant workers will tend to do tasks inside the nest. [16]

Reproductive suppression

The opportunity to lay eggs in a colony is determined by dominance ranking. The queen is the most dominant individual and has the only power to mate and lay eggs. Female workers remain in the nest and do not mate with males. [4] Ovary development in workers is suppressed by dominance interactions from the queen, as well as dominance interactions from the more dominant workers to the more subordinate workers. This results with more dominant workers having more developed ovaries, but still less developed than the queen’s. [15] If the queen dies or is removed, then the most dominant worker will take her place as the new reproductive. [4]

Nest activity

Nest activity is episodic and occurs in bursts rather than continuous activity throughout the day. Polistes instabilis spends roughly half of the daylight hours inactive and immobile. Periods of inactivity are broken when individuals initiate actions such as arriving, leaving, walking, antennating, gaster wagging, or fanning. These actions cause other workers to also begin working. 80% of activity is initiated by arriving or walking. Arriving triggers activity because when wasps arrive to the nest they bring materials to transfer to other workers. Walking is a first step taken in assessing needs of the colony, which can then be communicated to others. Queens do not differ from other workers in the initiation of active periods. [3]

Interaction with other species

Diet

Polistes instabilis feeds on caterpillars as well as nectar. When hunting caterpillars, the workers chew up the caterpillars extensively before returning to the nest. They distribute the ingested liquid to larvae, and caterpillar remains to other workers. [6] Foragers will take nectar from many different plants such as soapberry, sumacs, vauquelinia, and Apache plume. [2]

Nest defense

When a Polistes instabilis nest is attacked, the wasps defend their nests by responding in two different ways: First they perform a threat response by wagging their gaster and vibrating their wings, and second, some wasps may attack by leaving the nest and physically touching the attacker. There seems to be no relationship between the amount of investment the wasps have put into their nest and the defense response. This suggests that there are a fixed number of wasps that are semi specialized for nest defense, and such defensive tasks may be assigned in the same way as other tasks such as foraging. [13]

Mutualism

Polistes instabilis seem to have a mutualistic relationship with Croton suberosus, a neotropical shrub. The shrub produces nectar as a reward to pollinators. In return for pollinating, workers get to feed on the nectar. In addition, workers defend the shrub against herbivores such as caterpillars that are trying to feed on it. The workers also prey on the caterpillars, adding an extra benefit for defending the plant. [17]

Related Research Articles

<i>Polistes</i> Genus of insects

Wasps of the cosmopolitan genus Polistes are the most familiar of the polistine wasps, and are the most common type of paper wasp in North America. Walter Ebeling coined the vernacular name "umbrella wasps" for this genus in 1975 to distinguish it from other types of paper wasp, in reference to the form of their nests. It is also the single largest genus within the family Vespidae, with over 300 recognized species and subspecies. 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 European paper wasp, Polistes dominula, was introduced into the US about 1981 and has quickly spread throughout most of the country, in most cases replacing native species within a few years. This species is very commonly mistaken for a yellow jacket, as it is black, strongly marked with yellow, and quite different from the native North American species of Polistes. The cuckoo wasp, Polistes semenowi, is an obligate social parasite, whose only host is P. dominula. Polistes metricus adults malaxate their insect prey by chewing them into a pulp, sucking out and ingesting the body fluids, then feeding the rest of the morsel to their larvae. The most widely distributed South American wasp species, Polistes versicolor, is particularly common in the southeastern Brazilian states. This social wasp is commonly referred to as the yellow paper wasp due to the distinct yellow bands found on its thorax and abdomen. Polistes wasps can be identified by their characteristic flight; their long legs dangle below their bodies, which are also more slender than a yellow jacket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European paper wasp</span> Species of wasp

The European paper wasp is one of the most common and well-known species of social wasps in the genus Polistes. Its diet is more diverse than those of most Polistes species—many genera of insects versus mainly caterpillars in other Polistes—giving it superior survivability compared to other wasp species during a shortage of resources.

<i>Polistes gallicus</i> Species of wasp

Polistes gallicus is a species of paper wasp found in various parts of Europe, excluding England, Denmark, and Scandinavia, from warmer climates to cooler regions north of the Alps. Nests of these social insects are created in these various conditions. The Polistes species use an oral secretion to construct their nests, which consist of a combination of saliva and chewed plant fibers. This structural mixture physically protects the nest from various harsh elements and from weathering over time.

<i>Polistes humilis</i> Species of wasp

Polistes humilis, known as the Australian paper wasp, is a species of wasp in the Vespidae family that is found throughout Australia and which has been introduced to northern New Zealand. These paper wasps can be identified by their long thin legs and banded yellow and black coloring. They have been known to re-utilize old nests. While the species does not exhibit morphological class differences, there are distinct behavioral differences between queens and workers. In addition, the species is eusocial and benefits from relatedness between individuals. They are known for delivering a painful sting, especially when their nest is disturbed, a behavior that has been developed as a nest defense mechanism. While wasps are often viewed negatively, they play an important pollination role for many plants.

<i>Polistes chinensis</i> Species of wasp

Polistes chinensis is a polistine vespid wasp in the cosmopolitan genus Polistes, and is commonly known as the Asian, Chinese or Japanese paper wasp. It is found in East Asia, in particular China and Japan. The subspecies P. chinensis antennalis is an invasive species in New Zealand, having arrived in 1979.

<i>Polistes annularis</i> Species of wasp

Polistes annularis is a species of paper wasp found throughout the eastern half of the United States. This species of red paper wasp is known for its large size and its red-and-black coloration and is variably referred to as a ringed paper wasp or jack Spaniard wasp. It builds its nest under overhangs near bodies of water that minimize the amount of sunlight penetration. It clusters its nests together in large aggregations, and consumes nectar and other insects. Its principal predator is the ant, although birds are also known to prey on it. Unlike other wasps, P. annularis is relatively robust in winter conditions, and has also been observed to store honey in advance of hibernation. This species has also been used as a model species to demonstrate the ability to use microsatellite markers in maternity assignment of social insects.

<i>Polistes metricus</i> Species of wasp

Polistes metricus is a wasp native to North America. In the United States, it ranges throughout the southern Midwest, the South, and as far northeast as New York, but has recently been spotted in southwest Ontario. A single female specimen has also been reported from Dryden, Maine. Polistes metricus is dark colored, with yellow tarsi and black tibia. Nests of Polistes metricus can be found attached to the sides of buildings, trees, and shrubbery.

<i>Polistes fuscatus</i> Species of insect

Polistes fuscatus, whose common name is the dark or northern paper wasp, is widely found in eastern North America, from southern Canada through the southern United States. It often nests around human development. However, it greatly prefers areas in which wood is readily available for use as nest material, therefore they are also found near and in woodlands and savannas. P. fuscatus is a social wasp that is part of a complex society based around a single dominant foundress along with other cofoundresses and a dominance hierarchy.

<i>Polistes carolina</i> Species of wasp

Polistes carolina is one of two species of red paper wasp found in the eastern United States and is noted for the finer ridges on its propodeum. It is a social wasp in the family Vespidae. They are native to the United States from Texas to Florida, north to New York, and west to Nebraska. The wasp's common name is due to the reddish-brown color of its head and body. P. carolina prefer to build their nests in protected spaces.

Belonogaster juncea juncea is a subspecies of Belonogaster juncea and is classified as a primitively eusocial wasp, meaning that the species is social while exhibiting a morphology that is indistinguishable from that of other castes. It is also classified as a type of African Paper Wasp. Many of the studies relating specifically to B. j. juncea take place at the University of Yaoundé in Cameroon.

<i>Polybia occidentalis</i> Species of wasp

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 preys on nectar, insects, and carbohydrate sources, while birds and ants prey on and parasitize them. P. occidentalis workers bite each other to communicate the time to start working.

<i>Polistes nimpha</i> Species of wasp

Polistes nimpha is a eusocial paper wasp found all over Europe, with particular sightings in Turkey, Finland, Estonia, and Latvia. It is also found in northern Africa, Pakistan, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China. The climate in these areas is relatively cold and snowy in the winter, while summers are usually hot and dry, with steppe vegetation. Polistes nimpha colonies are relatively small and easily manipulated.

<i>Polistes bellicosus</i> Species of insect

Polistes bellicosus is a social paper wasp from the order Hymenoptera typically found within Texas, namely the Houston area. Like other paper wasps, Polistes bellicosus build nests by manipulating exposed fibers into paper to create cells. P. bellicosus often rebuild their nests at least once per colony season due to predation.

<i>Polistes canadensis</i> Species of wasp

Polistes canadensis is a species of red paper wasp found in the Neotropical realm. It is a primitively eusocial wasp as a member of the subfamily Polistinae. A largely predatory species, it hunts for caterpillar meat to supply its colony, often supplementing its developing larvae with nectar. The most widely distributed American species of the genus Polistes, it colonizes multiple combs, which it rears year-round.

<i>Belonogaster petiolata</i> Species of wasp

Belonogaster petiolata is a species of primitively eusocial wasp that dwells in southern Africa, in temperate or subhumid climate zones. This wasp species has a strong presence in South Africa and has also been seen in northern Johannesburg. Many colonies can be found in caves. The Sterkfontein Caves in South Africa, for example, contain large populations of B. petiolata.

<i>Ropalidia revolutionalis</i> Species of wasp

Ropalidia revolutionalis, the stick-nest brown paper wasp, is a diurnal social wasp of the family Vespidae. They are known for the distinctive combs they make for their nests, and they are mostly found in Queensland, Australia in the areas of Brisbane and Townsville. They are an independent founding wasp species, and they build new nests each spring. They can be helpful because they control insect pests in gardens.

<i>Polistes japonicus</i> Species of wasp

Polistes japonicus is a eusocial paper wasp found in Japan. It was first described by Henri Louis Frédéric de Saussure in 1858. It is closely related to Polistes formosanus. This species lives in small colonies with few workers and a foundress queen. Nests of these wasps are sometimes used as a traditional medicine in Korea, China, and Japan.

<i>Mischocyttarus flavitarsis</i> Species of wasp

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.

<i>Polistes versicolor</i> Species of wasp

Polistes versicolor, also known as the variegated paper wasp or yellow paper wasp, is a subtropical social wasp within Polistes, the most common genus of paper wasp. It is the most widely distributed of South American wasp species and is particularly common in the Southeastern Brazilian states. This social wasp is commonly referred to as the yellow paper wasp due to the distinct yellow bands found on its thorax and abdomen. The P. versicolor nest, made of chewed vegetable fiber, is typically a single, uncovered comb attached to the substratum by a single petiole. The yellow wasp is frequently found in urban areas. New nests and colonies are usually founded by an association of females, sometimes in human buildings. The P. versicolor colony cycle broadly ranges from 3 to 10 months, although there appears to be no relationship between the colony's development and the season of the year. While yellow paper wasps do have clear annual colony cycles, many young queens have the opportunity to hibernate during the winter, forming optional winter aggregations. Dominance hierarchies within these aggregations are characterized by physical aggression of the dominant female(s) towards the associated females, who tend to be sisters. Wagging movements are also often used as a form of communication within the colony. The yellow paper wasp is generally predatory, capturing a wide range of insects, although it often feeds on pollen and nectar as well. Therefore, P. versicolor can be useful as a pollinator or as effective pest control.

<i>Polistes dorsalis</i> Species of wasp

Polistes dorsalis is a species of social wasps that can be found throughout various parts of North America. It is classified under the Vespidae within the genus of Polistes. Male Polistes dorsalis wasps can be distinguished from other Polistes species by their distinctly prominent median tubercle of sternum 7. Both sexes can also be recognized due to their v- shaped yellow markings on their head. They are distributed widely across North America and can be found in sheltered nests, typically closer to the ground. These wasps live in a dominance hierarchy in which the queen's role differs from that of ordinary workers. When threatened, these wasps can deliver moderately painful stings. Their venom might also be of human interest for their antimicrobial uses.

References

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  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Polistes sp". Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center. Retrieved 2014-09-19.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Jha, Shalene (2006). "The queen is not a pacemaker in the small-colony wasps Polistes instabilis and P. dominulus". Animal Behavior.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hughes, Colin R.; Joan E. Strassman (1988). "Age Is More Important than Size in Determining Dominance among Workers in the Primitively Eusocial Wasp, Polistes instabilis". BRILL.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. 1 2 3 O'Donnell, Sean (1998). "Effects of Experimental Forager Removals on Division of Labour in the Primitively Eusocial Wasp Polistes instabilis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)". BRILL.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  6. 1 2 Dyer, Lee A. (1997). "Effectiveness of caterpillar defenses against three species of invertebrate predators". Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  7. 1 2 "Genus Polistes". Iowa State University Entomology. 2004. Retrieved 2014-09-19.
  8. ↑ Carpenter, James (1996). "Phylogeny and biogeography of Polistes". Natural History and Evolution of Paper-Wasps. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2014-09-25.
  9. ↑ "Discover Life". The Polistes Foundation. 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-25.
  10. ↑ Gobbi, Nivar, Fernando B. Noll, and Marcelo A. H. Penna. "‘Winter’ Aggregations, Colony Cycle, and Seasonal Phenotypic Change in the Paper Wasp Polistes versicolor in Subtropical Brazil." Naturwissenschaften 93.10 (2006): 487-94. Web.
  11. ↑ Pickett, Kurt M. (2006). "Systematics of Polistes (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), with a phylogenetic consideration of Hamilton's haplodiploidy hypothesis". Annales Zoologici Fennici.
  12. 1 2 Mulkey, Stephen S. (1999). "Dry Season Migration by Costa Rican Lowland Paper Wasps to High Elevation Cold Dormancy Sites". Biotropica.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  13. 1 2 Seal, Jon N. (2002). "Does Polistes instabilis de Saussure (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Investment Predict Nest Defense?". Allen Press.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  14. ↑ Molina, Y.; S. O'Donnell (2008). "Worker reproductive competition affects division of labor in primitively social paper wasp (Polistes instabilis)". Insectes Sociaux.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  15. 1 2 3 Molina, Yamile; Sean O'Donnell (2006). "Mushroom Body Volume is Related to Social Aggression and Ovary Development in the Paper Wasp Polistes instabilis". Brain, Behavior and Evolution.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  16. 1 2 O'Donnell, Sean; S.J. Bulova (2007). "Worker connectivity: a review of the design of worker communication systems and their effects on task performance of insect societies". Insectes Sociaux.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  17. ↑ Narbona, Eduardo; Rodolfo Dirzo (2010). "A Reassessment of the Function of Floral Nectar in Croton suberosus (Euphorbiaceae): A Reward for Plant Defenders and Pollinators". American Journal of Botany.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
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