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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Vespoidea » Vespidae

Family Vespidae

Classification · Pronunciation · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Range · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Works Cited
Wasp? - Ancistrocerus tuberculocephalus - female Another - Zeta argillaceum Euodynerus foraminatus - female red wasp - Polistes metricus? - Polistes metricus - female Vespula pensylvanica? - Vespula pensylvanica Unknown Yellowjacket - Vespa crabro Puzzling Yellowjacket - Vespula Wasp on Beach - Ancistrocerus
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
No Taxon (Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps)
Superfamily Vespoidea
Family Vespidae
Pronunciation
Typically VESS-pə-dē. In contrast to typical pronunciations, the pronunciation as in Latin instead would be wɛs pɪ dae̯ or wes pɪ dae̯ (wehs pee die or ways pee die).
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Polybiinae recently merged with Polistinae, with some of the tribes rearranged
Explanation of Names
Vespidae Latreille 1802
Numbers
~300 spp. in 36 genera in our area; ~5,000 spp. in ~270 genera total(1)
Overview of our fauna (* –taxa not yet in the guide)
Family Vespidae
Subfamily Euparagiinae Euparagia
Subfamily Masarinae Pseudomasaris
Subfamily Eumeninae Ancistrocerus · Cephalodynerus · Delta · Dolichodynerus · Eumenes · Euodynerus · Gastrodynerus · Hypalastoroides · Leptochiloides · Leptochilus · Leucodynerus · Maricopodynerus · Microdynerus · Minixi · Monobia · Odynerus · Pachodynerus · Parancistrocerus · Parazumia · Pseudepipona · Pseudodynerus · Pterocheilus · Smeringodynerus · Stenodynerus · Symmorphus · Zeta · Zethus
Subfamily Polistinae Brachygastra · Mischocyttarus · Polistes · Polybia*
Subfamily Vespinae Dolichovespula · Vespa · Vespula
Identification
Wings folded longitudinally at rest; first discoidal cell of FW greater than half the wing length
Inner margin of eye usually notched
Pronotum extending back to the tegulae and thus appearing triangular in lateral view and horseshoe-shaped from above
Keys: northeastern spp.(2) • CA spp.(3)
Range
Worldwide
Food
Masarinae are phytophagus (collect pollen and nectar for their young) ▪ Eumeninae & Euparagiinae catch specific prey to provision nests ▪ Polistinae & Vespinae collect various arthropods and carrion for their young
Life Cycle
Eumeninae, Euparagiinae, and Masarinae are solitary; Polistinae and Vespinae, eusocial; Stenogastrinae (Oriental) contains solitary and social forms
Remarks
The social vespids can be distinguished from nonsocial ones by having mandibles with a cutting/chewing surface near apex rather than along the inner margin
Works Cited
1.Order Hymenoptera. In: Zhang Z-Q (ed) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classif. and survey of taxonomic richness
Aguiar AP, Deans AR, Engel MS, Forshage M, Huber JT, Jennings JT, Johnson NF, Lelej AS, Longino JT, Lohrmann V, Mikó I, Ohl M. 2013. Zootaxa 3703: 51–62.
2.Identification Atlas of the Vespidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata) of the Northeastern Nearctic Region
Matthias Buck, Stephen A. Marshall, and David K. B. Cheung. 2008. Biological Survey of Canada [Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification].
3.The social wasps of California (Vespinae, Polistinae, Polybiinae)
Bohart R.M., Bechtel R.C. 1957. Bull. U.C. Insect Survey 4: 73-101.
Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, john and jane balaban, Beatriz Moisset, Tony-2, Matthias Buck, Chuck Entz, v belov, PaleoJon, bdagley, Nathaniel Green
Last updated 23 April, 2024 - 1:58pm

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