Hornets Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

This study presents a checklist of the vespid wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) of India. A total of 288 species belonging to 60 genera and 5 subfamilies of Vespidae are known to occur within the political boundaries of India. A complete list... more

This study presents a checklist of the vespid wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) of India. A total of 288 species belonging to 60 genera and 5 subfamilies of Vespidae are known to occur within the political boundaries of India. A complete list of species, comprising valid scientific names, synonyms, geographical distribution within and outside India, along with references, is provided. One new synonymy is proposed.

This study provides the first annotated check list of the Vespidae of Pakistan. It is based on the National Insect Museum collection and various studies in Pakistan. Among 105 identified taxa, 77 species and 28 subspecies are recorded in... more

This study provides the first annotated check list of the Vespidae of Pakistan. It is based on the National Insect Museum collection and various studies in Pakistan. Among 105 identified taxa, 77 species and 28 subspecies are recorded in the four subfamilies Eumeninae, Masarinae, Polistinae and Vespinae. Three new records for the fauna of Pakistan are added, namely Anterhynchium mellyi, Antepipona ovalis and Eumenes coronatus coronatus. Among the total, 12 species/subspe-cies are endemic to Pakistan, namely Ancistrocerus pakistanus, Antepipona luteipes, Antodynerus flavescens karachien-sis, Celonites nursei, Cyrtolabulus karachiensis, Eustenancistrocerus (Parastenancistrocerus) baluchistanensis, Katamenes dimidiatus watsoni, Knemodynerus lahorensis, Leptochilus (Neoleptochilus) hina, Leptochilus (Neoleptochi-lus) mirificus, Leptochilus (Neoleptochilus) umerolatus and Tachyancistrocerus pakistanus. Antepipona varentzowi (Morawitz, 1896) and Polistes rothneyi quatei van der Vecht, 1968 were incorrectly reported from Pakistan.

The Asian hornet, Vespa velutina, has invaded Europe during the last few years. This hornet is a dangerous pest to honey bee colonies and can cause significant economic damages. In this study, current and future distributions of this pest... more

The Asian hornet, Vespa velutina, has invaded Europe during the last few years. This hornet is a dangerous pest to honey bee colonies and can cause significant economic damages. In this study, current and future distributions of this pest in Europe and North Africa were analyzed using maximum entropy algorithm. Different environmental factors were used in the Maxent model to predict the suitability of the study area for this pest. Two future models with two Shared Socio-economic Pathways (126 and 585) were used to estimate the future distribution of V. velutina in 2050. The Maxent model for V. velutina showed high performance based on the analysis of omission/commission rates and the area under curve. Jackknife test showed the high importance of temperature variables in V. velutina distribution. The model maps indicated the potential invasion of this pest to other areas in Europe and North Africa including deserts in Libya and Egypt. Negative consequences of such invasion on beekeeping and environmental balance are expected.

Six genera and nine species of Eumeninae (Eumenes punctatus de Saussure, E. papillarius (Christ), Delta dimidiatipenne (de Saussure), D. p. pyriforme (Fabricius), D. esuriens (Fabricius), Rhynchium brunneum (Fabricius), Anterhynchium... more

Six genera and nine species of Eumeninae (Eumenes punctatus de Saussure, E. papillarius (Christ), Delta dimidiatipenne (de Saussure), D. p. pyriforme (Fabricius), D. esuriens (Fabricius), Rhynchium brunneum (Fabricius), Anterhynchium abdominale
(Illiger), Antepipona sibilans (Cameron), Allorhynchium argentatum (Fabricius)) , two genera and six species of Polistinae (Polistes wattii (Cameron), P. olivaceus (De Geer), P. rothneyi carletoni van der Vecht, P. indicus Stolfa), Ropalidia brevita Das & Gupta, R. cyathiformis (Fabricius), and one genus and four species of Vespinae (Vespa basalis
Smith, V, orientalis Linnaeus, V, tropica (Linnaeus), V. velutina Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau) are recorded from Pothwar region. Eumenes punctatus and E. papillarius are newly recorded from Pakistan. An illustrated keys to subfamilies, genera and species are given.

Corresponding author: Ehsan Rakhshani, E-mail: rakhshani@uoz.ac.ir Copyright © 2020, Rahmani et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits... more

Corresponding author: Ehsan Rakhshani, E-mail: rakhshani@uoz.ac.ir Copyright © 2020, Rahmani et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Updated Checklist of Vespidae (Hymenoptera: Vespoidea) in Iran

Wing venation provides useful characters with which to classify extant and fossil insects. Recently, quantification of its shape using landmarks has increased the potential of wing venation to distinguish taxa. However, the use of wing... more

Wing venation provides useful characters with which to classify extant and fossil insects. Recently, quantification of its shape using landmarks has increased the potential of wing venation to distinguish taxa. However, the use of wing landmarks in phylo-genetic analyses remains largely unexplored. Here, we tested landmark analysis under parsimony (LAUP) to include wing shape data in a phylogenetic analysis of hornets and yellow jackets. Using 68 morphological characters, nine genes and wing landmarks , we produced the first total-evidence phylogeny of Vespinae. We also tested the influence of LAUP parameters using simulated landmarks. Our data confirmed that optimization parameters, alignment method, landmark number and, under low optimization parameters, the initial orientation of aligned shapes can influence LAUP results. Furthermore, single landmark configurations never accurately reflected the topology used for data simulation, but results were significantly close when compared to random topologies. Thus, wing landmark configurations were unreliable phylogenetic characters when treated independently , but provided some useful insights when combined with other data. Our phylogeny corroborated the monophyly of most groups proposed on the basis of morphology and showed the fossil Palaeovespa is distantly related to extant genera. Unstable relationships among genera suggest that rapid radiations occurred in the early history of the Vespinae.

A checklist of the species in the subfamily Vespinae is presented, including synonyms and distributional summaries. Sixty-seven extant species in four genera are treated as valid, with an additional ten fossil species listed. No... more

A checklist of the species in the subfamily Vespinae is presented, including synonyms and distributional summaries. Sixty-seven extant species in four genera are treated as valid, with an additional ten fossil species listed. No subspecies are recognized. Lamarck (1801) did not designate Vespa crabro Linnaeus as the type species• of the genus Vespa. However, Latreille's (1810) designation of the same species is the first valid one, therefore existing generic nomenclature need not be disturbed. The following nomenclatural change is made: Vespa variabilis du •Buysson, 1905, is a junior primary homonym of Vespa variabilis Fabricius, 1781. It is replaced by Vespa variabilis jumida van der Vecht, 1959, which is elevated to species rank, NEW STATUS. The lectotype of Vespa annulata Smith, 1858, is designated.

Oriental hornets, Vespa orientalis, are dangerous enemy to bee colonies in some countries of the world. There are more than one subspecies of V. orientalis. Few studies have investigated the morphological characteristics of these... more

Oriental hornets, Vespa orientalis, are dangerous enemy to bee
colonies in some countries of the world. There are more than one subspecies of V. orientalis. Few studies have investigated the morphological characteristics of these subspecies. Morphological characterization can help in confirming and discriminating between the subspecies, and to follow any changes in their morphology over time. In this study, some body characteristics of V. orientalis orientalis queens from Egypt were measured including head width, fore wing length and width, hind wing length and width, femur length, tibia length and
approximate stinger length. Also, fore wing characteristics using wing coordinates for 20 landmarks were studied. Computer based techniques were applied to take these measurements. The data of the current study can be utilized for comparisons with other subspecies.

In recent years, five new species of Vespinae have been described from Yunnan Province, China. A thorough assessment of these taxa, including study of color differences and compilation of measurements of specimens from six entomological... more

In recent years, five new species of Vespinae have been described from Yunnan Province, China. A thorough assessment of these taxa, including study of color differences and compilation of measurements of specimens from six entomological collections, shows that the new taxa are merely variants of existing, nominal species. Thus, all five are synonymized here, as follows: Vespa hekouensis Dong and Wang, and Vespa maguanensis Dong = Vespa analis Fabricius; Vespula yulongensis Dong and Wang = Vespula flaviceps (Smith); Vespula nujiangensis Dong and Wang = Vespula orbata (du Buysson); and Vespula gongshanensis Dong = Vespula rufa (Linnaeus), all NEW SYNONYMY. The synonymies bring the current number of vespine species
recognized worldwide to 67.

Wing venation provides useful characters with which to classify extant and fossil insects. Recently, quantification of its shape using landmarks has increased the potential of wing venation to distinguish taxa. However, the use of wing... more

Wing venation provides useful characters with which to classify extant and fossil insects. Recently, quantification of its shape using landmarks has increased the potential of wing venation to distinguish taxa. However, the use of wing landmarks in phylo-genetic analyses remains largely unexplored. Here, we tested landmark analysis under parsimony (LAUP) to include wing shape data in a phylogenetic analysis of hornets and yellow jackets. Using 68 morphological characters, nine genes and wing landmarks , we produced the first total-evidence phylogeny of Vespinae. We also tested the influence of LAUP parameters using simulated landmarks. Our data confirmed that optimization parameters, alignment method, landmark number and, under low optimization parameters, the initial orientation of aligned shapes can influence LAUP results. Furthermore, single landmark configurations never accurately reflected the topology used for data simulation, but results were significantly close when compared to random topologies. Thus, wing landmark configurations were unreliable phylogenetic characters when treated independently , but provided some useful insights when combined with other data. Our phylogeny corroborated the monophyly of most groups proposed on the basis of morphology and showed the fossil Palaeovespa is distantly related to extant genera. Unstable relationships among genera suggest that rapid radiations occurred in the early history of the Vespinae.

231 species of the family Vespidae (Hymenoptera, Vespoidea) of Iran, in 55 genera belonging to 4 subfamilies Eumeninae (45 genera, 184 species), Masarinae (5 genera, 24 species), Polistinae (2 genera, 17 species) and Vespinae (3 genera, 6... more

231 species of the family Vespidae (Hymenoptera, Vespoidea) of Iran, in 55 genera belonging to 4 subfamilies Eumeninae (45 genera, 184 species), Masarinae (5 genera, 24 species), Polistinae (2 genera, 17 species) and Vespinae (3 genera, 6 species) are listed. An overall assessment of the distribution pattern of the vespid species in Iran indicates a complex fauna of different biogeographic regions. 111 species are found in both Eastern and Western Palaearctic regions, while 67 species were found only in the Eastern Palaearctic region. Few species (14 species – 6.1%) of various genera are known as elements of central and western Asian area and their area of distribution is not known in Europe (West Palaearctic) and in the Far East. The species that were found both in the Oriental and Afrotropical Regions comprises 11.7 and 15.6% the Iranian vespid fauna, respectively. Many species (48, 20.8%) are exclusively recorded from Iran and as yet there is no record of these species from other countries. The highest percentage of the vespid species are recorded from Sistan-o Baluchestan (42 species, 18.2%), Alborz (42 species, 18.2%), Fars (39 species, 16.9%) and Tehran provinces (38 Species 16.5%), representing the fauna of the Southeastern, North- and South Central of the country.

Six genera and nine species of Eumeninae (Eumenes punctatus de Saussure, E. papillarius (Christ), Delta dimidiatipenne (de Saussure), D. p. pyriforme (Fabricius), D. esuriens (Fabricius), Rhynchium brunneum (Fabricius), Anterhynchium... more

Six genera and nine species of Eumeninae (Eumenes punctatus de Saussure, E. papillarius (Christ), Delta dimidiatipenne (de Saussure), D. p. pyriforme (Fabricius), D. esuriens (Fabricius), Rhynchium brunneum (Fabricius), Anterhynchium abdominale (Illiger), Antepipona sibilans (Cameron), Allorhynchium argentatum (Fabricius)) , two genera and six species of Polistinae (Polistes wattii (Cameron), P. olivaceus (De Geer), P. rothneyi carletoni van der Vecht, P. indicus Stolfa), Ropalidia brevita Das & Gupta, R. cyathiformis (Fabricius), and one genus and four species of Vespinae (Vespa basalis Smith, V, orientalis Linnaeus, V, tropica (Linnaeus), V. velutina Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau) are recorded from Pothwar region. Eumenes punctatus and E. papillarius are newly recorded from Pakistan. An illustrated keys to subfamilies, genera and species are given.

In recent years, five new species of Vespinae have been described from Yunnan Province, China. A thorough assessment of these taxa, including study of color differences and compilation of measurements of specimens from six entomological... more

In recent years, five new species of Vespinae have been described from Yunnan Province, China. A thorough assessment of these taxa, including study of color differences and compilation of measurements of specimens from six entomological collections, shows that the new taxa are merely variants of existing, nominal species. Thus, all five are synonymized here, as follows: Vespa hekouensis Dong and Wang, and Vespa maguanensis Dong = Vespa analis Fabricius; Vespula yulongensis Dong and Wang = Vespula flaviceps (Smith); Vespula nujiangensis Dong and Wang = Vespula orbata (du Buysson); and Vespula gongshanensis Dong = Vespula rufa (Linnaeus), all NEW SYNONYMY. The synonymies bring the current number of vespine species recognized worldwide to 67.

Since its introduction in France 10 years ago, the yellow-legged Asian bee-hawking hornet Vespa velutina has rapidly spread to neighboring countries (Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, and Germany), becoming a new threat to beekeeping... more

Since its introduction in France 10 years ago, the yellow-legged Asian bee-hawking hornet Vespa velutina has rapidly spread to neighboring countries (Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, and Germany), becoming a new threat to beekeeping activities. While introduced species often leave behind natural enemies from their original home, which benefits them in their new environment, they can also suffer local recruitment of natural enemies. Three mermithid parasitic subadults were obtained from V. velutina adults in 2012, from two French localities. However, these were the only parasitic nematodes reported up to now in Europe, in spite of the huge numbers of nests destroyed each year and the recent examination of 33,000 adult hornets. This suggests that the infection of V. velutina by these nematodes is exceptional. Morphological criteria assigned the specimens to the genus Pheromermis and molecular data (18S sequences) to the Mermithidae, due to the lack of Pheromermis spp. sequences in GenBank. The species is probably Pheromermis vesparum, a parasite of social wasps in Europe. This nematode is the second native enemy of Vespa velutina recorded in France, after a conopid fly whose larvae develop as internal parasitoids of adult wasps and bumblebees. In this paper, we provide arguments for the local origin of the nematode parasite and its limited impact on hornet colony survival. We also clarify why these parasites (mermithids and conopids) most likely could not hamper the hornet invasion nor be used in biological control programs against this invasive species.

Hymenoptera stings are a health concern. Apidae (bees), Vespidae (hornets, yellow jackets and wasps) and Formicidae (ants) are medically-important stinging insects under the order Hymenoptera. Clinical features from simple skin... more

Hymenoptera stings are a health concern. Apidae (bees), Vespidae (hornets, yellow jackets and wasps) and Formicidae (ants) are medically-important stinging insects under the order Hymenoptera. Clinical features from simple skin manifestations to severe and fatal organ injury are due to the hypersensitivity reactions and/ or the toxic effects of the venom inoculated. Here we discuss on Hymenoptera stings involving apids (honey bees) and vespids (wasps, hornets and yellow jackets) and their effect on renal function and associated morphological changes in the kidney. Despite the differences in venom composition and quantity released per sting in two insect groups, both lead to similar medical consequences, such as localised normal allergic reactions, mild to severe anaphylaxis and shock and multiple organ and tissue injury leading to multiple organ failure. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the unusual complications of Hymenoptera stings and has the basis of both immune-mediated and toxic effects. Evidence has proven that supportive therapy along with the standard medication is very efficient in completely restoring the kidney function without any recurrence.

The occurrence of the Asian hornet, Vespa velutina Lepeletier, 1836, in the Brussels-Capital region and the results of its progression in Belgium until the end of 2019 are presented. A brief biology of the species is recalled. The... more

The occurrence of the Asian hornet, Vespa velutina Lepeletier, 1836, in the Brussels-Capital region and the results of its progression in Belgium until the end of 2019 are presented. A brief biology of the species is recalled. The criteria for distinguishing it from its closest species in Belgium, the European hornet, Vespa crabro Linnaeus, 1758 and the bush wasp, Dolichovespula media (Retz, 1783), are underlined. The four European hornet species are also pictured. An addendum about its discovery in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in september 2020 is provided at the end of the paper.

A checklist of the species in the subfamily Vespinae is presented, including synonyms and distributional summaries. Sixty-seven extant species in four genera are treated as valid, with an additional ten fossil species listed. No... more

A checklist of the species in the subfamily Vespinae is presented, including synonyms and distributional summaries. Sixty-seven extant species in four genera are treated as valid, with an additional ten fossil species listed. No subspecies are recognized. Lamarck (1801) did not designate Vespa crabro Linnaeus as the type species· of the genus Vespa. However, Latreille's (1810) designation of the same species is the first valid one, therefore existing generic nomenclature need not be disturbed. The following nomenclatural change is made: Vespa variabilis du ·Buysson, 1905, is a junior primary homonym of Vespa variabilis Fabricius, 1781. It is replaced by Vespa variabilis jumida van der Vecht, 1959, which is elevated to species rank, NEW STATUS. The lectotype of Vespa annulata Smith, 1858, is designated.

In recent years, five new species of Vespinae have been described from Yunnan Province, China. A thorough assessment of these taxa, including study of color differences and compilation of measurements of specimens from six entomological... more

In recent years, five new species of Vespinae have been described from Yunnan Province, China. A thorough assessment of these taxa, including study of color differences and compilation of measurements of specimens from six entomological collections, shows that the new taxa are merely variants of existing, nominal species. Thus, all five are synonymized here, as follows: Vespa hekouensis Dong and Wang, and Vespa maguanensis Dong = Vespa analis Fabricius; Vespula yulongensis Dong and Wang = Vespula flaviceps (Smith); Vespula nujiangensis Dong and Wang = Vespula orbata (du Buysson); and Vespula gongshanensis Dong = Vespula rufa (Linnaeus), all NEW SYNONYMY. The synonymies bring the current number of vespine species recognized worldwide to 67.

A checklist of the species in the subfamily Vespinae is presented, including synonyms and distributional summaries. Sixty-seven extant species in four genera are treated as valid, with an additional ten fossil species listed. No... more

A checklist of the species in the subfamily Vespinae is presented, including synonyms and distributional summaries. Sixty-seven extant species in four genera are treated as valid, with an additional ten fossil species listed. No subspecies are recognized. Lamarck (1801) did not designate Vespa crabro Linnaeus as the type species· of the genus Vespa. However, Latreille's (1810) designation of the same species is the first valid one, therefore existing generic nomenclature need not be disturbed. The following nomenclatural change is made: Vespa variabilis du ·Buysson, 1905, is a junior primary homonym of Vespa variabilis Fabricius, 1781. It is replaced by Vespa variabilis jumida van der Vecht, 1959, which is elevated to species rank, NEW STATUS. The lectotype of Vespa annulata Smith, 1858, is designated.