Oriental hornet
Oriental hornet | |
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on Cyprus | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Vespidae |
Genus: | Vespa |
Species: | V. orientalis
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Binomial name | |
Vespa orientalis Linnaeus, 1771
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Distribution of Vespa orientalis[2][3][4] |
The Oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis) is a
Taxonomy and phylogeny
The Oriental hornet (V. orientalis) belongs to the family Vespidae, which consists of
Description and identification
The adult hornet has two pairs of wings and a body measuring between 25 and 35 mm (0.98 and 1.38 in) long.
Distribution
Oriental hornets can be found in
Nests
The Oriental hornet typically lives in nests that it digs underground.[8] On the roof base of each comb cell one or more mineral granules of polycrystalline material is attached.[17] A nest contains multiple combs in which the colony lives.[7] While nests are most commonly found under ground, some paper nests are constructed in protective hollows such as inside hollow trees, in shipping containers, parked vehicles, and aircraft.[2] To construct the paper nests, the workers strip the bark from twigs, tree branches, and shrubs to collect fiber.[2]
Colonies
Behavior
V. orientalis is a type of
Social structure
Within a colony, the
Communication
Oriental hornets communicate through sound vibrations. The three main types of vibrations used to communicate are taps to the queen, awakening taps, and larval hunger signals.[7] When workers tap while facing the queen, three effects are noted: the queen starts to search the combs for vacant cells in which to lay her eggs in, the workers go back to performing their typical duties, and hunger signals by larvae cease immediately and are not resumed for at least 30 minutes.[7] The main purpose of these taps seem to be to encourage the queen to lay more eggs. Awakening taps by workers cause a general intensification of activities in the colony.[7] The effects are minimal during the day. At night, however, the vibrations wake the whole colony, which causes the larvae commence their hunger signals and the workers to go forage for food to feed the larvae.[7] Larval hunger signals produce no detectable changes in larval activity during the daytime. The workers, however, pay more attention and give more food to the cells that are in the vicinity of where the vibrations originated.[7] At night, the larvae emulate each other's hunger signals and awake the whole nest.[7]
Kin selection and altruism
V. orientalis hornets live in colonies in which the workers are all daughters of the queen, so the workers are all sisters. Social wasps are haplodiploid, which means that males are all haploid and develop from unfertilized eggs, while females are diploid and develop from eggs fertilized by drones. Queens commonly mate with only one drone. Each drone has only one set of chromosomes to pass on to its offspring. Thus, sister workers that share paternity are unusually closely related to each other. Each received 100% its father's genes and 50% of its mother's genes, so each is on average 75% related to its sisters and only 50% related to the queen. Thus, a worker is benefited by looking after the queen and her colony to best ensure the survival of its genes. An individual acting in the interests of others and not just itself it is known as altruism.
Interactions with other species
Diet
Oriental hornets capture other insects such as
Conflict with bees
The best place for hornets to find a combination of animal proteins (bees or larvae) and carbohydrates (honey) are bee hives.[9] Oriental hornets have been known to cause serious damage to bee colonies.[9] They are the primary pest that attacks honey bee colonies in many countries.[11]
Sting
Antibacterial effect of venom
The venom of V. orientalis was tested on
Physiology
Solar energy harvesting
Unlike most wasps which are most active during the early morning, V. orientalis is unique in showing a peak of activity during the middle of the day.
Cuticle
The
Electric potential
Also the silk has shown to have similar electric properties when exposed to light.[20]
Thermoregulatory organ
There is a thermoregulatory organ in the
Research and experiments
Zero gravity experiment
The Israeli Space Agency Investigation About Hornets
During the launch, 202 hornets died as a result of a malfunction in the water system that caused an abnormal increase in humidity. The surviving hornets lost their sense of direction, and unlike the control unit hornets, were unable to climb on the walls or stay in clusters. Instead, they stayed motionless and apart from each other. Roughly 3 to 4 days after returning to earth, the hornets started climbing on the walls again and building a nest. The surviving hornets lived for an average of 23 days, compared to an average survival of 43 days for the control group hornets.[22]
References
- ^ International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (2014). "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species [Version 2014.2]". Archived from the original on June 27, 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p USAPHC Entomological Sciences Program. "Oriental hornets" (PDF). U.S. Army Public Health Command. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 August 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
- ^ "Oriental hornet". Dieter Kosmeier. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
- ^ Archer ME (1998). "Taxonomy, distribution and nesting biology of Vespa orientalis L. (Hym., Vespidae)". Entomologist's Monthly Magazine. 138: 45–51.
- ^ a b Dvorak, Libor (June 2006). "Oriental Hornet Vespa orientalis Linnaeus, 1771 found in Mexico" (PDF). Entomological Problems. 36: 80. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
- ^ a b Ríos, Mauro; Barrera, Roberto; Contreras, José (2020) Primer reporte del género Vespa Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Vespinae) en Chile. Revista Chilena de Entomología 46:237-242. 10.35249/rche.46.2.20.14.
- ^ . Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ S2CID 14022197.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ ISSN 1721-8861.
- ^ a b Abdel-Ghany GM, Zalat SM, Abo-Ghalia AH, Semida FM (January 2009). "VARIATION OF VENOM AND THORACIC MUSCLE PROTEINS OF VESPA ORIENTALIS POPULATIONS IN RELATION TO GEOGRAPHICAL ISOLATION IN SOUTHERN SINAI PROTECTORATES, EGYPT" (PDF). Egyptian Journal of Natural Toxins. 6 (1): 16–32. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ a b Glaiim MK (2009). "HUNTING BEHAVIOR OF THE ORIENTAL HORNET, Vespa orientalis L., AND DEFENSE BEHAVIOR OF THE HONEY BEE, Apis mellifera L., IN IRAQ". Bull. Iraq Nat. Hist. Mus. 10 (4): 17–30.
- ^ .
- ^ A.H. Smith-Pardo, J.M. Carpenter, L. Kimsey (2020) The diversity of hornets in the genus Vespa (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Vespinae), their importance and interceptions in the United States. Insect Systematics and Diversity 4(3) https://doi.org/10.1093/isd/ixaa006
- ^ a b c The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (1 June 2013). "Vespa orientalis Linnaeus, 1771". Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ Ćetković A. "A review of the European distribution of the Oriental hornet (Hymenoptera, Vespidae: Vespa orientalis)". Ekologija. 37: 1–22.
- ^ Daglio A. On the Taxonomy and Distribution of the subfamily Vespinae. Lambert Academic Publishing, Beau Basin, v+49 pp.
- S2CID 6818662.
- ^ Jalaei, Jafar; Mehdi Fazeli; Hamid Rajaian; Seyed Shahram Shekarforoush (2014). "Investigation of Mating Preference for Nestmates in the Paper Wasp Polistes fuscatus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)" (PDF). Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins Including Tropical Diseases. 20 (22). Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ S2CID 6710421.
- ^ Hornet silk: thermophysical properties - ScienceDirect.com
- ^ a b "STS-47". NASA. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
- ^ "The Hornet Experiment". IAMI. Archived from the original on 28 October 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2013.