Mischocyttarus mexicanus

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Mischocyttarus mexicanus
M. mexicanus workers
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Vespidae
Subfamily: Polistinae
Genus: Mischocyttarus
Species:
M. mexicanus
Binomial name
Mischocyttarus mexicanus
(Saussure, 1854)
Subspecies
Avispa del papel-Paper wasp (Mischocyttarus mexicanus) (7623451086)

Mischocyttarus mexicanus is a

conspecifics.[6] They nest in a variety of types of plants and human constructions, although they have most frequently been observed in palm trees,[3] and they are known to interact with a number of other species as prey, competitors over resources, or foragers.[7]

Taxonomy and phylogeny

M. mexicanus was described by

polistine wasp genus Mischocyttarus.[8] Mischocyttarus is actually cited as the largest genus of social wasps, and it consists entirely of New World wasp species.[1] M. mexicanus includes at least two subspecies: M. mexicanus cubicula (Richards, 1978) and M. mexicanus mexicanus (de Saussure).[3] Mischocyttarus biology is, reportedly, very similar to that of several wasps of the genus Polistes.[8]

Description and identification

The genus Mischocyttarus is recognized by having asymmetrical internal and external lobes of the

dorsal surface of the prothorax. In addition, males have very short, thick antennae. Females also have a clypeus, or head plate, with a flattened apex.[8] M mexicanus typically has an orange-yellow color.[9]

Distribution and habitat

M. mexicanus is a New World wasp species found anywhere from the southern United States to Costa Rica. Subspecies M. m. mexicanus is predominantly present anywhere between Mexico and Costa Rica, though it has been sighted in Texas. On the other hand, the subspecies M. m. cubicola has been observed in the southeastern U.S., the Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Texas, and Missouri.

palm species, other trees, and human constructions.[3]

Colony cycle

The colony cycle of M. mexicanus was detailed extensively by Marcia Litte in the 1970s.

eclosion nests.[4] The duration of a nest is estimated at 8 months, although a large percentage of nests fail long before then.[7]

Behavior

Nesting tactics

M. mexicanus has been found to have two stable nesting

habitats is experimentally decreased in an area, then nests are more likely to be founded by multiple females, and the converse has been found to hold true as well, indicating that these nesting tactics are context-dependent. Additionally, a female can switch between nesting tactics as an adult, suggesting that this trait is plastic.[2]

Nest construction

Nests of M. mexicanus have been observed on

fronds, probably because this orientation increases the activity of the nest early in the day, as a consequence of the increased luminance and temperature.[2] It was also found that foundresses preferred the outside curl of palm fronds over the inside curl [2] and that the cabbage palm may provide greater protection against birds than other habitats.[11]

Mischocyttarus.mexicanus on the nest

Social structure

M. mexicanus females in a colony are at various levels of ovary development, and though there is typically one or more queen per colony, a relatively large proportion of females are reproductively viable.[7] Females within a nest have been found to be highly variable, in that after a nest is initiated, one female may become the primary reproductive female, and the others may become subordinates.[13] However, nest switching is frequent,[13] and if a queen is removed, then a nestmate may replace her within the span of a week.[7] The females in any given nest have a surprisingly low level of relatedness.[12] Some reasons why M. mexicanus nests would be pleiotropic in spite of this low relatedness include reduced mortality rates of multiple-foundress nests, reduced development times, and larger colony sizes.[12][7]

Cannibalism and usurpation

It has been observed that upon removal of a queen from the nest, the

brood parasites, cannibalizing eggs of a foreign nest and placing an egg of their own in the empty cell.[2]

Interaction with other species

Predators

Nephila clavipes are thought to be predators of M. mexicanus.[7]

Ants are commonly found raiding nests of this species, though it is rare that ants will raid a nest that hasn’t already been abandoned.[7] Species including Campanotus floridanus, Crematogaster ashmeadi, and Pheidole floridana are known to raid live nests and eat the brood of the wasp colony.[6] However, it was found that most commonly, a single ant will encounter a nest and be successfully deterred.[7]

Other wasps

Apart from the conspecific interactions that are discussed above, it is expected that M. mexicanus competes with other wasp species for nesting places. It was found that nesting areas of M. mexicanus were mutually exclusive with

habitats.[11]

Mimicry

The papaya fruit fly, Toxotrypana curvicauda, has evolved different color variations in populations living in distinct geographic regions. In the areas of Florida that it shares with M. mexicanus, it has been found to have a brown and dark orange-yellow color, which is similar to M. mexicanus.[9] The females have a long ovipositor which is often mistaken as a stinger, and increases the resemblance of this species to M. mexicanus and other similar wasp species.[14] It appears that the fruit flies also mimic certain defensive behaviors of wasps. When being handled by humans, the flies often curve their bodies and appear as if they are attempting to use their ovipositor as a stinger.[14] The selective advantage of this morphological and behavioral mimicry has not yet been fully elucidated.[14]

The papaya fruit fly Toxotrypana curvicauda is thought to be an example of a species that mimics the appearance of M. mexicanus to gain a selective advantage.[9]

Communication

Biting has been found to be a frequent occurrence between nestmates. The individuals that do the most

sternites, though they have very few ducted exocrine gland cells when compared to other species of Mischocyttarus.[1] However, these observations are consistent with the idea that M. mexicanus, like other wasps, use chemicals to communicate through nestmate recognition, pheromone signaling, etc.[15]

Diet

M. mexicanus was found to forage both arthropod and nectar-based foods. It is suspected that they prey on arthropod larvae. Additionally, females have been observed foraging on palmetto and Lyonia flowers.[7] Males are also commonly found on flowers, and they often pounce on other M. mexicanus individuals that are foraging on those flowers, which is presumably related to the mating habits of this species.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c Post, DC & Jeanne, RL. (1982). "Sternal Glands in Three Species of Male Social Wasps of the Genus Mischocyttarus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)." Journal of the New York Entomological Society. 90(1):8–15.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Gunnels IV, CW, Dubrovskiy, A, & Avalos, A. (2008). "Social interactions as an ecological constraint in a eusocial insect." Animal Behavior. 75:681–691.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Carpenter, JM, Hunt, JH, Strassmann, JE. (2009). "Mischocyttarus mexicanus cubicola: Major Extension of Its Range to Texas (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)." Entomologica Americana. 115(1):95–96.
  4. ^ a b c d e Clouse, R. (2001). "Some effects of group size on the output of beginning nests of Mischocyttarus mexicanus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)." Florida Entomologist. 84(3):418–424.
  5. ^ a b Gunnels IV, CW. (2007). "Seasonably Variable Eusocially Selected Traits in the Paper Wasp, Mischocyttarus mexicanus." Ethology. 113:648–660.
  6. ^ a b c Clouse, RM. (1995). "Nest Usurpation and Intercolonial Cannibalism in Mischocyttarus mexicanus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)." Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 68(1):67–73.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Litte, M. (1977). "Behavioral Ecology of the Social Wasp, Mischocyttarus mexicanus." Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 2(3):229–246.
  8. ^ a b c Silveira, OT. (2008). "Phylogeny of wasps of the genus Mischocyttarus de Saussure (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae)." Revista Brasileira de Entomologia. 52(4):510–549.
  9. ^ a b c Landolt, PJ, Gonzalez, M, Chambers, DL, & Heath, RR. (1991). "Comparison of Field Observations and Trapping of Papaya Fruit Fly in Papaya Plantings in Central America and Florida." The Florida Entomologist. 74(3):408–414.
  10. ^ Hermann, HR & Chao, JT. (1984). "Distribution of Mischocyttarus (Monocyttarus) mexicanus cubicola in the United States." The Florida Entomologist. 67(4):516–520.
  11. ^ a b c d Hermann, HR, Gonzalez, JM, & Hermann, BS. (1985). "Mischocyttarus mexicanus cubicola (Hymenoptera), Distribution and Nesting Plants." The Florida Entomologist. 68(4):609–614.
  12. ^ a b c Strassmann, JE, Queller, DC, & Solís, CR. (1995). "Genetic relatedness and population structure in the social wasp Mischocyttarus mexicanus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)." Insectes Sociaux. 42:379–383.
  13. ^ a b c Mora-Kepfer, F. (2014). "Context-dependent acceptance of non-nestmates in a primitively eusocial insect." Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 68:363–371.
  14. ^ a b c Landolt, PJ. (2000). "Chapter 14: Behavior of Flies in the Genus Toxotrypana (Trypetinae: Toxotrypanini)." In Aluja, M, Norrbom AL. (Eds.). Fruit Flies (Tephritidae): Phylogeny and Evolution of Behavior (363–373). Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press LLC. Print.
  15. ^ a b Neves, EF, Andrade, LHC, Súarez, YR, Lima, SM, & Antonialli-Junior, WF. (2012). "Age-related changes in the surface pheromones of the wasp Mischocyttarus consimilis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)." Genetics and Molecular Research. 11(3):1891–1898.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mischocyttarus_mexicanus&oldid=1147351557"