The tribe Epiponini comprehends the swarm-founding Neotropical wasps, with several species endemic to Brazil, which are extremely important in studies of social evolution of wasps. The Epiponini diverge in several ways from the definitions of high eusociality, since caste syndromes range from species without morphological caste differentiation to those with complete caste dimorphism, and all sp...

Adult workers of some social insect species show dramatic behavioral changes as they pass through a sequence of task specializations. In the paper wasp, Polybia aequatorialis, female workers begin adult life within the nest tending brood, progress to maintaining and defending the nest exterior, and ultimately leave the nest to forage. The mushroom body (MB) calyx neuropil increases in volume as...

Mutualistic networks between plants and their flower visitors provide information about the ecological dynamics coevolutionary processes shaping species interactions. Sociality in insects has recently been considered a predictor for topological patterns such networks. However, effects that social solitary impose upon network topologies are still poorly understood. We evaluated of within tropica...

Associated to the sting apparatus of the aculeate hymenopterans is found the poison gland, originated from the glands associated to the ovipositor of the non-aculeate hymenopterans and the less derived Dufour gland, homologue of the coletterial gland of other insects, and found in all hymenopteran females. The Dufour gland functions is mostly uncertain in hymenopterans but in ants it is involve...

The phylogenetic relationships of the genera, subgenera and species-groups of the Vespinae are analysed using cladistic techniques. The results are used as the basis for a natural classification of these wasps. The cladogram for the four genera recognized is: Vespa + .cProvespa + (Dolichovespula + Vespula)). No subgenera are recognized; all those previously described are synonymized with the ap...

Nectarinella manaura sp. nov. is described, representing the first record of the genus from Brazilian Amazonia. Its description raises richness for Nectarinella from two to three species, and extends the range of characteristics for the genus, especially in terms of body size and color patterns. Discovery of the new species may shed new light into the knowledge of phylogenetic relationships bet...

Polybia paulista (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) is responsible for a high number of sting accidents and anaphylaxis events in Southeast Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. The specific detection of allergy to the venom of this wasp is often hampered by the lack of recombinant allergens currently available for molecular diagnosis. Antigen 5 (~23 kDa) from P. paulista venom (Poly p 5) is a highly abundant a...

We used a standard sampling protocol to measure elevational patterns of species richness and abundance of eusocial paper wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in Costa Rica. The sample transect of six sites spanned approximately 2000 m in elevation from lowland to montane forest. Species accumulation curves and species richness estimates both document a low elevation peak in paper wasp species richness...

Polistine and vespine wasps were captured in Malaise traps in two fire-modified shrubland habitats of varying canopy height and composition at Lake Ohia, Northland, New Zealand. Prey consumption rates were calculated for the Asian paper wasp (Polistes chinensis antennalis) occupying these two areas of shrubland and a home garden in Whangarei, Northland. The sites were systematically searched fo...

Sequence data of mitochondrial 165 ribosomal DNA (mt-rDNA) and nuclear 28S ribosomal DNA (nuc-rDNA) were compared in two honeybee species (Apis mellifera and Apis dorsata) and a selection of 22 wasp species (Vespidae) with different levels of sociality. The averge substitution rates in mt-rDNA and nucrDNA were almost-equal in solitary species. ln species with larger nests, however, the differen...