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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and other Stinging Wasps » Vespoidea » Yellowjackets, Paper Wasps, and Hornets; Potter, Mason and Pollen Wasps (Vespidae) » Hornets and Yellowjackets (Vespinae) » Vespula » Forest Yellowjacket (Vespula acadica)
Photo#14144
Forest Yellowjacket - melanic form - Vespula acadica - female
Copyright © 2004 Tony Thomas

Forest Yellowjacket - melanic form - Vespula acadica - Female
nr. Fredericton, York County, New Brunswick, Canada
July 21, 2004
This specimen is of the melanic form, the xanthic form (not seen by me) has quite a different abdominal pattern.
Note these characters for forest yellowjacket: narrow space between eyes and back of head; distance between eye and mandible narrow; yellow body markings; top of thorax lacking yellow stripes; yellow band not continuous around top of eye; 1st antenna segment yellow ventrally; 2 yellow spots on 2nd abdominal segment in melanic form (as shown); yellow band behind eye (genal band) broken
Wasp cooled to show character states.
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Contributed by Tony Thomas on 2 April, 2005 - 9:49pm

Melanic form?
As I understand it, and correct me if I'm wrong, V. acadia has both a melanic (dark) form and a xanthic (yellow) form. This photo, I believe, shows the melanic form. In the xanthic form, the 2nd abdominal segment has a greater yellow area with two black spots.
… Richard Leung, 2 April, 2005 - 10:07pm login or register to post comments

 
You are correct
I will amend the above description to indicate that this is a melanic specimen. Thanks
… Tony Thomas, 2 April, 2005 - 10:23pm login or register to post comments

 
Vespula acadica
This is true. Some specimens may be even more melanistic, but the one shown is moderately dark. Some from Canada and Alaska may completely lack the broken stripe at the anterior margin of T-1 as well as the free yellow spots on T-2 (making them rather resemble Vespula vulgaris). There is a complete range of intergradients between the coloration shown and the extremely xanthic specimens (more often seen in California but which sometimes occur in the eastern states, such as some I have from Pennsylvania), which superficially resemble Vespula atropilosa.
… Bob Jacobson, 3 November, 2005 - 4:51pm login or register to post comments

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