Queen - Vespula flavopilosa

moved

to species page, based on comments

… Tony Thomas, 16 March, 2006 - 4:51am

Really sorry...

But I'm not sure either (sigh). This nice queen is EITHER a V. vulgaris OR a V. flavopilosa, but with such a dorsal view, even a close-up wouldn't help to tell both species apart.
On one hand, the head's vertex seem to lack the long dark hairs typical of the common Yellowjacket. But on the other hand, this individual lacks the small yellow stripes on the mesoscutum, found on most (but maybe not all) downy Yellowjacket females. As all other features are virtually identical for both species, I can't be conclusive: a view of the face would have been needed.
Only the locality could give an indirect help, because V. flavopilosa is likely to be present only in the southernmost part of the Ontario province. (But, an animal active on a April, 15 can hardly come from the North, or even from the central part...)

… Richard Vernier, 14 March, 2006 - 5:46am

V. vulgaris???

In my experience, in Oregon, V. vulgaris queens are much blacker on the abdomen, with few, if any, isolated black spots on the tergites. Perhaps this is simply a geographical variation?

… Eric R. Eaton, 14 March, 2006 - 12:37pm

Erratum...

In the following comment, one must read, of course, INDIANA and not "Iowa".

… Richard Vernier, 15 March, 2006 - 5:17am

You're right...

To point out the average darkness of North-American V. vulgaris, which seems to remain fairly constant at a continental scale. Anthony Thomas took several good pictures of workers from New Brunswick last fall, and all of them lack free spots on the urotergites.
One more element in favor of V. flavopilosa is the outline of the yellow apical band on the first urotergite of this one queen. Now, I realize that it is unlike any V. vulgaris, light or dark, I have ever seen. Conversely, it looks very similar to the V. flavopilosa queen from Massachussets photographed last year by Tom Murray.
So my conclusion is that this queen is ALMOST certainly a V. flavopilosa (downy Yellowjacket). Had I too choose in which Guide page it should be inserted, then I would say flavopilosa rather than vulgaris. Maybe more "material" will come this year, allowing a definitive ID - the same can be said about the "mysterious" male from Iowa.

… Richard Vernier, 15 March, 2006 - 5:13am