Abstract Invasive alien species could generate a multitude of impacts towards native species. The introduction and spread Vespa velutina in Europe is raising concern for the conservation insect’s biodiversity, including wasps due to predation, competition or combination these two mechanisms. Nevertheless, most evidence negative effects on other are based laboratory experiments, direct observati...

Twenty two species of the paper wasp genus Ropalidia Guérin-Méneville, 1831, are listed from China. Among them, R. malaisei van der Vecht, 1962, R. cyathiformis (Fabricius, 1804), R. santoshae Das & Gupta, 1989, R. scitula (Bingham, 1897), R. obscura Gusenleitner, 1996 and R. ornaticeps (Cameron, 1900) are new records from China. A new species, R. parartifex Tan & van Achterberg, is described. ...

It is not known how pleometrosis (nest initiation in groups) and haplometrosis (nest initiation alone) are both maintained in the paper wasp Mischocyttarus mexicanus (Saussure). To answer this question, reliable measurements of the reproductive success of each tactic are needed. It is shown here that females that begin nests alone are more likely to raise a few daughters in rapid succession rat...

Mimicry is usually understood to be an adaptive resemblance between phylogenetically distant groups of species. In this study, we focus on Batesian and Müllerian mimicry, which are often viewed as a continuum rather than distinct phenomena, forming so-called Batesian-Müllerian mimicry rings. Despite potent defence wide environmental niche hornets, little attention has been paid them potential m...

LEOPOLDO CASTRO, ANDRÉS ARIAS & ANTONIO TORRALBA-BURRIAL Av. Sanz Gadea 9-9D, 44002 Teruel, Spain. E-mail: [email protected] Dpto. Biología de Organismos y Sistemas, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo 33071, Spain. E-mail: [email protected] Cluster de Energía, Medioambiente y Cambio Climático, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo 33071, Spain. E-mail: [email protected] Corresponding...

Two new species are described and figured: Okinawepipona nigra Nguyen & Xu, sp. nov. (northern Vietnam and southern China), and O. curcipunctura Nguyen & Xu, sp. nov. (southern China). A key to the three known species of the genus is provided.

Longitudinal folding (plaiting) of forewings at rest has arisen independently in Vespidae, Colletidae, Gasteruptiidae, Figitidae, Leucospidae, and Pompilidae. In the first five families the plaiting fold is similar in position, but in the last family its position is different. A type of wing folding unique to the eucoilid genus Kleidotoma—wrapping flexure—is described. In all cases, evolution o...

PURPOSE Although patient history is vital for the diagnosis of hymenoptera venom allergy, specific IgE detection is also important to identify the culprit insect and monitor the effect of immunotherapy. We evaluated the diagnostic value of serum-specific IgE detection of hymenoptera venom component allergens and documented changes in allergen-specific IgE after immunotherapy. METHODS Fifty-si...

The wing venation is frequently used as a morphological marker to distinguish biological groups among insects. With geometric morphometrics, minute shape differences can be detected between closely related species or populations, making this technique useful for taxonomy. However, the direct influence of genetic differences on wing morphology has not been explored within colonies of social inse...