Dolichovespula adulterina
Dolichovespula adulterina | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Vespidae |
Genus: | Dolichovespula |
Species: | D. adulterina
|
Binomial name | |
Dolichovespula adulterina (Buysson, 1905)
|
Dolichovespula adulterina is a species of
Taxonomy and phylogeny
D. adulterina is one of a few parasitic members the subfamily
Identification
The length of the
A black and white, sometimes pale yellow, this wasp has brown-tinted wings. Normally, abdominal segments 1-5 are bordered, towards their rears, with a thin, white band. The large, dark malar space between the eye and the yellow jaw puts this species in Dolichovespula rather than the related genus Vespula.
Distribution and habitat
D. adulterina has a
D. saxonica constructs nests in trees and shrubs no more than 2 m above the ground. Sometimes, D. saxonica nests in beehives, underneath overhanging edge of roofs (sometimes up to 7 m above ground) and porches, and cavities of walls. On occasion, they may also nest in tree holes or holes in the ground.[2]
Biology
D. adulterina's main host in Europe is D. saxonica,[5] but it also parasitises D. norwegica.[6] This species produces no workers; the eggs laid in the host's nest produce queens and males, which are nurtured by the workers of the host species.
Colony cycle
D. adulterina is a parasitic species, so its lifecycle is consistent with the host it parasitises. Furthermore, D. adulterina invades the nest of host species before the first set of workers appears, and lives alongside the queen for a time before usurping her.
D. saxonica
D. adulterina most often parasitises D. saxonica. In mid-May or just before, colonies initiate. The first set of workers emerges in early June and begins working on large cells mid-June. Queens emerge in early July and the colony continues until just after mid-August.
Regardless of the host species, the queen D. adulterina invades the host colony around the same time that the first workers start to emerge. The invasive queen waits around 10 days before killing the host queen and laying her eggs. Males emerge in late July and new queens emerge in early August. After a few days, the males and females leave for their mating flights. The colony then terminates in mid-August. The
Parasitic behaviour
D. adulterina is a parasitic social insect. Social insects are labeled
D. adulterina uses a submissive approach while the host nest is under attack, living alongside the host queen for a while before attempting to kill her. This is different from other inquiline species, such as
Diet
D. adulterina, like social vespines, is primarily
Sting
D. adulterina's stinger is an adaptation to its parasitic biology. The
Emery's rule
D. adulterina, along with V. austriaca, D. arctica, and D. omissa, are the only four vespine wasp species that display inquilinism. Furthermore, all of these species abide by Emery's rule, which states that a social parasite is more closely related to its host than to any other species. In host colonies, D. adulterina queens have allomonal control over worker wasps. While D. adulterina is able to comfortably coexist with its host, it does not integrate nearly as well into host colonies as inquiline ant species. Due to its mediocre proficiency, inquiline wasps are only able to parasitize other species that exist in small colonies and have short cycles.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Akre, Roger (1982). Social Wasps. Academic Press, Inc. pp. 51–75.
- ^ S2CID 84013332.
- .
- ^ Buck, Matthias (19 February 2008). "Identification Atlas of the Vespidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata) of the northeastern Nearctic region". Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
- ^ "Report of a saxon wasp nest attacked by a cuckoo wasp". 1986-06-30.
- ^ a b Dvorak, L. (2007). "Parasitism of Dolichovespula norwegica by D. adulterina (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)" (PDF). Silva Gabreta. 1: 65–67.
- S2CID 86133581.
- ^ hdl:2246/5782.