[10], Nests of Apoica have no enclosing envelope and are composed of a single comb that hangs under the branch. The species is most closely related to Apoica flavissima. Paper wasps should not be confused with yellowjackets and […] [12] In addition, adults will exchange food via trophallaxis. Ocellar image quality, in addition to lens focal length and back focal distance, was determined in all three species. A notable feature of this species is the size dimorphism between queens and workers. Queen-destined larvae show faster growth rates in various bodily compartments than worker-destined larvae. Pickett, K. M. and J. W. Wenzel. This differentiation is thought to be the result of differences in ovary development. During the day, wasps covering the comb fan their wings to cool the nest, keeping it at a suitable temperature for larval development. These wasps are truly nocturnal, carrying out their foraging activities after the setting of the sun. [14] The queens participate in a society of inclusive fitness rather than in a struggle for direct fitness. An interesting aspect of the genus Apocia is that while it is described as highly social, it has fewer caste differences than other genera of highly social wasp species. Data points for nine Polybia species are indicated in blue, data point for nocturnal Apoica pallens is shaded black, and other species are indicated by open symbols. A new species, Apoica ellenae, whose phylogenetic position is uncertain, is described. Apoica is a genus of eusocial paper wasps found throughout the Central and South American tropics.These wasps are truly nocturnal, carrying out their foraging activities after the setting of the sun. The nests of Apoica pallens, in particular, is known to be significant in the practices of the indigenous Pankarare and also the rural people of Brazil. Size constraints and sensory adaptations affect mosaic brain evolution in paper wasps (Vespidae: Epiponini) Body size limits brain volume, but size may also differentially constrain the volumes of brain regions. Th e genus Apoica Lepeletier, 1836, comprises nocturnal swarming paper wasps, confi ned to the Neotropics and placed in the tribe Epiponini. By scraping and chewing wood into a pasty pulp, paper wasps make paper-like nests in the shape of an umbrella. Foraging takes place almost exclusively at night. Apoica is one of the basal genera in the tribe. [8] [16] The role of policing is adopted by sterile workers, who select among the queen larvae. [13], Calling behavior is characterized by the gaster being held rigidly away from the thorax,[12] thus exposing the sternal glands. It’s always best to call a pest elimination expert, rather than attempting to remove … [9] It is divided into two subgenera, Apoica and Deuterapoica Dalla Torre, 1904. In the day, the workers cluster on the nest surface, effectively forming an envelope over the brood with their bodies.” A subsequent Google search of the name Apoica pallens turned up a paper written by O’Donnell along with tree collaborators. These wasps … During the day, when adult individuals are not participating in swarming behavior, they cover the comb face of the nest several layers thick. The first host, in this case, would be a lepidopteran larvae, one of the main preys of Apoica and other Epiponini. Humans can also experience severe reactions when stung by paper wasps. [11] [12], Apoica pallens displays active, rather than chemical defense behavior. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. This brings the total number of species in the genus to 10"--P. [1]. [14] The reasoning behind this is that as colonies become more developed the number of queens is reduced, and the relatedness between mothers and daughters increases. Although these features help increase the wasp's nocturnal vision, other factors not widely studied also contribute, such as the lateral branching of neurons in the first optic ganglion within the eye. "Tentative Checklist of the Polistine Tribe Epiponini". Species mean relative MB size plotted against total brain volume for 19 species of swarm-founding paper wasps. [18], In Apoica pallens the nature of queen–worker morphological differences is determined at the larval stage. This results in individuals with different shapes even though larvae are about the same size. They prefer to construct their nests, which have an open comb like many paper wasps… It is famous for its swarm based emigration behavior, and is native to the lowlands of Central and northern South America. [12], Jeanne, R. L. 1991. [14] Therefore, kinship is considered an important theory for explaining cooperation within the Epiponini tribe. The foraging patterns of Apoica pallens are dependent on the moon's cycle: when the moon is new or small, Apoica pallens forages during the first 4 hours after sunset, with another small peak of activity just before dawn as wasps return to the nest. Such a brain adaptation to their environment is certainly possible—and not just for them, but any species. [12] [2] Apoica is one of the prominent genera of the New World Tropics, and is rather abundant. but apparently does not employ it during swarming. Wasps in this genus are unique in the Neotropics because they are nocturnal. [16] This is likely because this genus' morphological caste differentiation was a secondary evolutionary step in sociality, representing a switch between size differentiation between castes to morphological differentiation between castes. A variant of A. albimacula from Peru is noted. The monotypic Deuterapoica is sister to the subgenus Apoica, which contains the nine other nominal species of the genus (see Fig. Once located, the prey is quickly subdued, cut into manageable pieces that are chewed into a “meatball,” and carried back to the nest to be fed to the larvae. INTRODUCTIONTh e genus Apoica Lepeletier, 1836, comprises nocturnal swarming paper wasps, confi ned to the Neotropics and placed in the tribe Epiponini. Apoica is a genus of eusocial paper wasps found throughout the Central and South American tropics. Paper wasps (Polistes) are specialists on caterpillars, which they locate by visually and olfactorally searching vegetation likely to harbor them. A. pallens, however, has a different mode of communication. It has also been hypothesized that the advantages of this protective formation during the daylight hours are what led to the selection of the nocturnal foraging and swarming behavior seen in this species. [12] Males follow swarm emigrations and may remain with the newly created colony for the following weeks.[13]. INTRODUCTION. These nests are built in protected locations including in shrubs, on tree branches, on porch ceilings, window and door frames, roof overhangs, attic rafters, and under decks, joists or railings. The large nests have a distinctive appearance similar to a straw hat or basket. They rely on ocelli adaptations to get food during the night. The Central American paper wasp (Apoica pallens) is a nocturnal eusocial wasp (family Vespidae). This Vespidae-related article is a stub. 2 I like This Wasps in the genus Apoica are the only nocturnally active Neotropical paper wasps [Greiner, 2006]. When the moon is waxing, Apoica pallens extends the hours that it forages until individuals are out all night long. 191–231. The exposure of these chemical releasing glands has led to the hypothesis that this calling behavior releases airborne pheromones that signal to swarm members, so they know to begin the migration.[12][13]. Apoica pallens is part of the tribe Epiponini, a group including paper wasps found in neotropical regions. [5] Apoica is one of the basal genera in the tribe. Nocturnal bees, wasps and ants have considerably larger ocelli than their diurnal relatives, suggesting an active role in vision at night. The Central American paper wasp is a nocturnal eusocial wasp. This leaves them vigilant to the approach of predatory ants trying to reach the interior of the nest. Revision and cladistic analysis of the nocturnal social wasp genus, Apoica Lepeletier (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Polistinae, Epiponini). [16], Folk medicine is prominent in various areas of Brazil. They prefer to construct their nests, which have an open comb like many paper wasps, under large leaves, or in shrubs. It is divided into two subgenera, Apoica and Deuterapoica Dalla Torre, 1904. These castes are classified as workers and queens, and this morphological distinction is based on the size of ovaries. When attacking prey, Apoica release a drop of venom from their stings, which in turn attracts any nearby wasps to attack. The subgenera Deuterapoica and Apoica are consistent with the phylogenetic results, and are thus retained. In Matinha dos Pretos, pieces of the nest can also be boiled in water to make a tea that serves as treatment for asthma. The Ichneumonid wasps have slender bodies and long egg-laying organs known as ovipositors. This species has developed special night vision adaptations to facilitate their night-time swarming and forging behavior and has important medicinal properties for the Pankarare ́ people of Brazil. "Apoica is a genus of wasps that evolved the ability to fly and hunt at night." Generally, several adults will divide up a single larva. Firstly, as part of normal colony reproduction. The team found that the wasps brains seemed to follow Haller’s Rule. However, considering that polistines use plant material to build their nests, it is possible that species of Apoica, like other social paper wasps, could be facultative primary hosts of Seminota. The genus Apoica Lepeletier, 1836, comprises nocturnal swarming paper wasps, confined to the Neotropics and placed in the tribe Epiponini. This would seem to lead to relatively low relatedness between individuals within a colony, and therefore the incentive to protect shared genes would also be reduced. But that doesn’t mean that the individual regions of your brain will match up to your bigger cousins. They prefer to construct their nests, which have an open comb like many paper wasps, under large leaves, or in shrubs. Apoica pallens was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1804. Alex Hyde / Wasps (Apoica pallens) resting at their nest during the daytime, unusually for social wasps this species is nocturnal, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica 01536301 Nick Upton / Female Greek paper wasps (Polistes hellenicus) tending grubs in their nest in coastal scrubland, Lesbos / Lesvos, Greece, May. Wasp apoica pallens, Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae, social wasps, poisonous insects, dangerous, hornet's nest, Brazilian fauna, Mato Grosso do Sul, [18] This is thought to be a more passive defense than an active one, since the presence of the adults in this formation is in and of itself a deterrent to parasites and predators. If you’re a little paper wasp, your brain is going to be about the same size as any of your cousin species. Epiponini are either permanently polygynous or primarily polygynous. [4], Apoica pallens has been found to collect various arthropods including flies, caterpillars, and beetles. The wasps on the outer layer of the comb face outward. In: K. G. Ross & R. W. Matthews (eds. A variant of A. albimacula from Peru is noted. [16], Swarming wasps of the genus Epiponini generally place scent-markings on surfaces around the nest during the formation of swarm clusters. Queen larvae have different growth rates of various bodily compartments compared to larvae that will become workers. A new species, Apoica ellenae, whose phylogenetic position is uncertain, is described. However, relatedness between individuals in colonies of Epiponini shows that kinship is actually rather high. The incorporation of insects into folk remedies is common, and specific insects serve distinct purposes. [15] A. pallens also have increased number of facets instead of larger facets of the eye, which has increased its relative eye size. [9] Additionally, nest abandonment is sometimes correlated with changing climates, and in the case of Apoica pallens, has been observed more frequently during the dry season. Nests are sited on small diameter, near-horizontal branches in a variety of shrub and tree species. ), The Social Biology of Wasps. 1, modified from Pickett & Wenzel 2007). The wasps look threatening but most of them do not sting. Paper wasps are usually brown with yellow markings on the head, thorax and bands on the abdomen. It is famous for its swarm based emigration behavior, and is native to the lowlands of Central and northern South America. Oct 17, 2014 - Apoica Wasp nest Order: Hymenopteres. Furthermore, when the presence of evil is suspected in a native's life, they must bath in this smoke of the burning nest as treatment. Colonies and nests ofApoica pallens in the llanos region of Venezuela range from small foundress nests to large mature colonies. Ichneumonid wasps. [12], Apoica pallens populations are native to the lowlands of Central and northern South America. Th e monotypic Deuterapoica is sister to the subgenus Apoica, which contains the nine other nominal species 2007. In the latter case, queen numbers decrease during the colony cycle which can result in monogyny. [2] This species has developed special night vision adaptations to facilitate their night-time swarming and foraging behavior[3] and has important medicinal properties for the Pankararú people of Brazil. [6] Apoica pallens was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1804. Apoica flavissima is a paper wasp found primarily in South America.The species is distinguishable by its light coloring, unique single comb nests, and nocturnal nature. Paper wasps will sting to protect their colony, releasing toxins that can be harmful to mammals like birds, wolves, cats and dogs. The Apoica wasps always gather around the entrance of their nest to protect the larvae during the day. Revision and cladistic analysis of the nocturnal social wasp genus, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Apoica&oldid=1008524949, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 23 February 2021, at 19:12. In Apoica pallens, queens and workers are usually about the same total size, but queens tend to be smaller than workers anteriorly and significantly larger posteriorly. [14] Due to this system, there is in fact minimal conflict between the two castes.
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