Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
BugGuide Gathering
Pack Forest
Washington State
July 10-12, 2009
Details...

Photos from the 2009 gathering
 
Photos from the 2008 gathering in Tennessee
 
Photos from the 2007 gathering in Minnesota

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and other Stinging Wasps » Ants, Stinging Wasps, and Hornets (Vespoidea) » Yellowjackets, Paper Wasps, and Hornets; Potter, Mason and Pollen Wasps (Vespidae) » Paper Wasps (Polistinae) » Polistes » Polistes metricus
Photo#329693
Wasp - Polistes metricus
Copyright © 2009 Andrew Meeds

Wasp - Polistes metricus
Powell Gardens, near Kansas City, Johnson County, Missouri, USA
September 6, 2009
Size: around 25 mm I think
Might this be Polistes metr*icus?
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Andrew Meeds on 6 September, 2009 - 10:34pm
Last updated 20 November, 2009 - 5:11pm

Polistes metricus, female (KS)
Moved from Northern Paper Wasp. Polistes metricus from the western part of its range are sometimes very dark and have very restricted reddish markings on the thorax. These wasps are easy to distinguish from fuscatus because western fuscatus have very well developed yellow markings, e.g. like this one from Nebraska:
… Matthias Buck, 20 November, 2009 - 5:11pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Polistes aurifer.
… George Waldren, 17 November, 2009 - 12:30am login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies.
… George Waldren, 3 October, 2009 - 1:54am login or register to post comments

 
Very different patterns!
I see you have identified this wasp and the one here :

I would have never guessed that they are aurifer! What are some of the thing that you looked for to ID them?
… Vespula vulgaris, 16 November, 2009 - 9:56pm login or register to post comments

 
Yikes!!
I shouldn't have been moving stuff at 3am!! Definitely not aurifer...moving them to P. fuscatus. Thanks for catching these mistakes.
… George Waldren, 17 November, 2009 - 12:29am login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
… Charley Eiseman, 29 September, 2009 - 2:21am login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2009 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by Iowa State University Entomology.

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Site Map
Contact