| Yellow-vented hornet | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Vespidae |
| Genus: | Vespa |
| Species: | V. analis |
| Binomial name | |
| Vespa analis Fabricius, 1775 | |
| Synonyms | |
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Vespa analis, the yellow-vented hornet, is a species of common hornet found in Southeast Asia. [1] [2] [3]
This species has no recognised subspecies, and at least two described species are considered synonymous with it. [4]
This species varies in colours and patterns. In Southeast Asia, they are usually black with a yellow marking on the tip of the abdomen (the sixth segment). In Singapore, they are coloured slightly lighter, with red or brown heads and pronotums. [5] Specimens from sub-tropical, mountainous or temperate areas have yellow heads. In areas where they occur with the Asian giant hornet, they tend to resemble it in colour and pattern. [5]
This species is one of the most widely distributed hornets. It can be found in temperate areas such as Japan, Russia and Korea, and is also found over much of China and Taiwan, down to tropical regions like Singapore and Indonesia. [5]
Vespa analis is a typical tree-dwelling hornet. [5] Its nests are generally built from six to ten feet above ground, lower than those of Vespa affinis and Vespa velutina . [5] The nest envelope is usually quite dark and sturdy, and has a coarsely imbricate pattern, with large, obvious overlapping circular sections. In temperate areas, the nest gets only very slightly oval, and the colony size is generally not very large. However, nests in the tropics reach substantial sizes. There is also the same variation seen in nests of Vespa affinis ; nests in tropical regions are tapered from the top and get wider further down. [5] Their diet is relatively similar to other hornet species of Southeast Asia, catching butterflies, honeybees and dragonflies. However, unlike some hornet species in Southeast Asia, they do not scavenge on dead animals or food left behind by people. [5]
This species is generally considered to be one of the least defensive species. However, in Japan, it is responsible for quite a number of attacks, due to its abundance and its fondness for building near human habitation. [5]
This species appears to have a fairly long colony cycle, as workers have been spotted trying to hunt in early January, indicating that some nests still have brood or new queens then. [5]
Hornets are the largest of the eusocial wasps, and are similar in appearance to their close relatives yellowjackets. Some species can reach up to 5.5 cm (2.2 in) in length. They are distinguished from other vespine wasps by the relatively large top margin of the head. Worldwide, 22 species of Vespa are recognized. Most species only occur in the tropics of Asia, though the European hornet is widely distributed throughout Europe, Russia, North America, and north-eastern Asia. Wasps native to North America in the genus Dolichovespula are commonly referred to as hornets, but all of them are actually yellowjackets.
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.
The Asian giant hornet or northern giant hornet, including the color form referred to as the Japanese giant hornet, is the world's largest hornet. It is native to temperate and tropical East Asia, South Asia, Mainland Southeast Asia, and parts of the Russian Far East. It was also found in the Pacific Northwest of North America in late 2019 with a few more additional sightings in 2020, and nests found in 2021, prompting concern that it could become an invasive species. However, by the end of the season in November 2022, there were no confirmed sightings in North America at all, suggesting they may have been eradicated in that region.
The European hornet is the largest eusocial wasp native to Europe. It is also the only true hornet found in North America, having been introduced to the United States and Canada from Europe as early as 1840. Vespines, such as V. crabro, are known for making intricate paper-like nests out of surrounding plant materials and other fibers. Unlike most other vespines, reproductive suppression involves worker policing instead of queen pheromone control, as was previously thought.
The Oriental hornet is a social insect species of the family Vespidae. It can be found in Southwest Asia, Northeast Africa, the island of Madagascar, the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of Southern Europe. Oriental hornets have also been found in a few isolated locations such as Mexico and Chile due to human introduction. The Oriental hornet lives in seasonal colonies consisting of caste system dominated by a queen. The hornet builds its nests underground and communicates using sound vibrations. The hornet has a yellow stripe on its cuticle (exoskeleton), which can absorb sunlight to generate a small electrical potential, and this might help supply energy for digging. The adult hornet eats nectar and fruits and scavenges for insects and animal proteins to feed to its young. Because they are scavengers, the hornets may also serve as a transmitter of disease following consumption of infected plants. The hornets are a primary pest to honey bees, attacking bee colonies to obtain honey and animal proteins. The sting of an Oriental hornet can be quite painful to humans and some humans are allergic to stings.
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.
The yellow-vented bulbul, or eastern yellow-vented bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is a resident breeder in southeastern Asia from Indochina to the Philippines. It is found in a wide variety of open habitats but not the deep forest. It is one of the most common birds in cultivated areas. They appear to be nomadic and roam from place to place regularly.
Vespa tropica, the greater banded hornet, is a tropical species of hornet found in Southern Asia, New Guinea and west Africa, and which has recently been discovered to be an invasive species on the Pacific island of Guam. It is a predator of paper wasps and possesses a potent sting, which can cause extreme pain and swelling.
Apis cerana japonica is a subspecies of the eastern honey bee native to Japan. It is commonly known as the Japanese honey bee. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA suggests that the ancestors of this subspecies came to Japan from the Korean Peninsula via Tsushima Island. Genetic differentiation between Japanese honeybees and Korean honeybees occurred about 20,000 years ago, which coincides with the separation of Japan's Tsushima Island from the Korean Peninsula due to sea level rise. They have been observed moving into urban areas in the absence of natural predators.
The Asian hornet, also known as the yellow-legged hornet or Asian predatory wasp, is a species of hornet indigenous to Southeast Asia. It is of concern as an invasive species in some other countries.
Apis cerana, the eastern honey bee, Asiatic honey bee or Asian honey bee, is a species of honey bee native to South, Southeast and East Asia. This species is the sister species of Apis koschevnikovi and both are in the same subgenus as the western (European) honey bee, Apis mellifera. A. cerana is known to live sympatrically along with Apis koschevnikovi within the same geographic location. Apis cerana colonies are known for building nests consisting of multiple combs in cavities containing a small entrance, presumably for defense against invasion by individuals of another nest. The diet of this honey bee species consists mostly of pollen and nectar, or honey. Moreover, Apis cerana is known for its highly social behavior, reflective of its classification as a type of honey bee.
Vespula flaviceps is a species of social wasp in the genus Vespula. It found in Eastern Asia and Japan. Studies have suggested that the queens of this species may mate with more males and use sperm more evenly. The reason for this is not yet well understood.
Vespa simillima, the yellow hornet, including the color form known as the Japanese hornet or Japanese yellow hornet (キイロスズメバチ), is a common hornet species in the Eastern Hemisphere. The typical mainland color form is darker and hairier than the yellow form; it lives in Hokkaido, the Korean Peninsula, Eastern Siberia and China, but is less common in Japan, where the yellow color form predominates. It should not be confused with the Asian giant hornet, which has a color form sometimes referred to as the "Japanese giant hornet". While there is a history of recognizing subspecies within many hornets, the most recent taxonomic revision treats all subspecific names in the genus Vespa as synonyms, effectively relegating them to no more than informal names for regional color forms.
Vespula rufa, commonly known as the red wasp, is a social wasp species belonging to the genus Vespula. It is found in northern and central Europe, parts of Asia, and northern parts of North America. Vespula rufa is characterised by red-brown markings and body segmentation, with the appearance varying amongst the different roles of individuals in the species. These wasps build small nests in dry banks underground that are not far below the surface. The colony cycle begins in the fall. Vespula rufa feed on live insects. One interesting fact about Vespula rufa is that the queen policing occurs in the species, and that worker policing occurs at much lower rates than other species in the genus Vespula. There are predators and parasites of the species. The species goes through a series of events before leaving the nest.
Vespa affinis, the lesser banded hornet, is a common hornet in tropical and subtropical Asia.
Vespa soror, also known as the southern giant hornet, is a species of hornet present in India, Northern Thailand, Laos, Northern Vietnam, and parts of South China, including Hong Kong, Guangdong, Fujian, and Hainan Island.
Vespa dybowskii, also known as the black hornet or Dybowski's hornet, is a species of hornet found in Japan, Korea, Russia and China. It is considered rare or uncommon throughout its range. It has been suggested for attention in the Red Database in Japan.
Vespa binghami, also known as Bingham's hornet, is a species of hornet found in northern Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, parts of India, parts of China, Korea, and parts of Russia.
Vespa philippinensis, the Philippine hornet, is a species of rare hornet found in the Philippine Islands, primarily on the island of Negros. It is a ground-nesting species with a similar body structure to that of Vespa tropica. Only one known occurrence of the hornets' nest has been recorded, where a colony was found and collected, although there have been 12 sightings of individuals before. It was described by Henri Louis Frédéric de Saussure in 1854.
"Vespa analis" at http://www.vespa-bicolor.net/main/vespid/vespa-analis.htm accessed on the 11th October 2020